Michael Collins and the Magic Coin

by Br44

Michael Collins is a lonely college student who was given a magic coin by a mysterious woman. Rubbing the head of the coin, it grants him the one wish in the deepest part of his heart. "I wish I had a girl just like out of Fallen Maidens. One who would love me and allow me to love her without any concern for appearance or money."

16. Chapter 12 Part 1

ATTENTION READER!

This is PART 1 of a TWO PART chapter. It has been broken up for your viewing pleasure. ENJOY! :D

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The Black Blindfold

One month had passed aboard the merchant ship Lasalle. It was a peaceful month, with the intrepid duo having spent much of it relaxing in the passenger cabin. There were no alarm clocks, there were no cars honking outside, and no helicopters flying overhead. It was a peaceful vacation. Despite this relative peace, Michael found himself waking up early some mornings. He didn't know why, but something was gnawing at him from the inside. Sometimes he would be woken up by bad dreams he could never remember, then he would be left in a cold sweat with a pounding heart. Sometimes he was tortured with incurable insomnia, and lay awake for hours in bed while listening to the sounds of the sea. The sounds of the sailors talking or shouting outside the cabin would faintly reach his ears through the thick wood deck. Sometimes he would hear thumping overhead as the sailors worked on the upper deck.

...

Michael's eyes turned towards Sherry, who was peacefully sleeping while cuddled up against his left arm. Of course a great deal of their trip had been spent doing naughty things, but even Sherry needed to sleep every once in a while. So Michael lay there that morning, unable to sleep, staring up at the underside of the unoccupied bunk bed above. The sun was just barely starting to glow on the horizon. Michael looked at his watch, and was blinded by the illuminated dial.

"Ugh... I'm going to get short changed on sleep again. What'd I get this time? Three hours I think?" Michael thought.

*THUD

It sounded like something heavy was dropped on the deck above. Shortly after, the distinctive sound of a scuffle echoed into the cabin.

"Oh, it's just business as usual. Those cutthroats love to get into fist fights." Michael thought.

He listened out of boredom, but he wasn't hearing the usual bickering that went with a crewmember fight.

"...fucking monster!"

Michael's eyes widened. He heard those two words faintly, but clear enough to be certain he heard correctly. He gently shook Sherry's shoulder.

"Sherry, wake up! I think we've got a problem!" Michael whispered urgently.

"Ughhh..." Sherry moaned.

She rolled over, and went back to sleep again. He shook her a second time, but she refused to wake up. Little did he know that in order to sleep at night when a succubus wasn't supposed to sleep, Sherry was required to put a teensy little sleeping spell on herself. So Michael cussed under his breath, slid out of bed, and grabbed his pistol holster off the chair as he headed for the door.

...

..

.

He swung right towards a short flight of stairs that lead up to the aftcastle deck. Before he even went up the stairs, he could already see part of what was going on. Sure enough, there were three sailors up there, kicking the crap out of someone. Michael snuck up to the steps, and use the railing as cover so he could get a good view.

"A kraken!" Michael thought.

The sailors had a real live Kraken caught in a fishing net. She covered her head with her arms as they wailed on her with tool handles and the heels of their deck shoes. Her squid arms lay motionless on the deck.

"Fight back! What are you doing?!" Michael thought.

She turned her head, and looked directly at him. Her eyes pierced his soul, and sent a lightning bolt down his spine. There was something about that kraken that both intrigued and frightened Michael at the same time. For several long moments, he physically couldn't pull his eyes away.

"KILL THE FUCKING MONSTER!"

"YEAH! WE'LL USE IT FOR FISH BAIT!"

Michael was forcefully snapped out of his trance. One of the sailors had just brained the kraken with a wooden tool handle, which knocked her unconscious.

"NO!" Michael barked.

*THUDTHUDTHUD

*CLACKCLACK!

All two hundred pounds of angry Irishman went thudding up those stairs. He forcefully racked the slide on his Beretta 92 model S. As soon as he showed his face, the three sailors turned their weapons on him. One of them had a fishing spear, one had the aforementioned tool handle, and one had a cutlass.

...

..

.

*CRACK CRACK CRACK!

Sherry was violently awoken by the all too familiar sound of gunfire coming from the deck above. Her eyes went wide, and she lunged out of bed. Running out of the cabin with her sheathed sword, she found Michael on the deck with the evidence of his deed laying at his feet. Blood seeped into the wooden deck. Three shots, and three kills.

"Don't bring a knife to a gunfight, peckerwood!" Michael exclaimed.

"What happened?!" Sherry exclaimed.

Michael pointed towards the kraken. No further explanation was needed. Michael knelt down by the wounded woman, and pulled the fishing net off her bruised and battered body.

"By the maoyu! Those fiends!" Sherry spat under her breath.

"Please open your eyes..." Michael pleaded softly.

Much to Michael's relief, the kraken slowly regained consciousness. She was in bad shape, and it only angered Michael more seeing up close just how injured she really was.

"Can you still swim?" Michael asked urgently.

"I... think so. Yes. I can." The kraken said softly.

"The rest of the crew is coming!" Sherry warned.

"Keep them off me for a minute!" Michael said.

Sherry smirked, and slowly drew her sword. The spell concealing her succubus features faded away.

"As you wish~" Sherry said with glee.

So Michael helped the kraken up, slinging her left arm over his shoulder as best he could. Sherry was heavy, but that kraken felt like a literal ton of bricks. Michael simply couldn't comprehend how such a physically powerful inma could end up in that situation.

"Swim girl, and don't look back." Michael said through gritted teeth.

He gently pushed her over the edge of the railing, and she fell back into the safety of the water. The last thing he saw of her was when her beautiful pale face faded into the darkness of the sea.

"Good luck." Michael thought.

Michael turned, and discovered the entire crew of the ship glaring at him with weapons drawn. He clenched his pistol, and joined Sherry's side.

"So... a monster has snuck onto my ship, and you fools never noticed!?" The captain shot angrily.

"We're sorry captain, we had no..."

"Shut up! No excuses! You'll get your lashes later! Until then, throw those two off my ship!" The captain ordered.

*CRACK!

Michael casually shot the captain, dropping him like a sack of potatoes.

"Nobody beats up a helpless woman on my watch! Anyone else want to take a shot at the title?!" Michael boomed.

A sailor stepped forward... and died within seconds. Sherry laughed evilly.

"Anyone else?" Michael asked.

Nobody stepped forward.

"Good! You bastards are finally learning!" Michael exclaimed.

"We should kill them all sweetie." Sherry said, grinning evilly.

Michael gritted his teeth. It was certainly a tempting idea, but it was too much. He flicked the muzzle of his handgun across the sailors.

"Jump overboard or die! Your choice!" Michael commanded.

They hesitated, uncertain what to do. Michael raised his Beretta and aimed it at the nasty little diseased cuss that looked like Gollum.

"You, the worm with jaundice! Jump your scraggily ass overboard before I splatter your brains on the deck!" Michael warned.

He hesitated only a couple of seconds before he made a break for the ship's railing.

*Splash!

The rest of them hesitated for another couple of seconds, before they too rushed for the railing and dove overboard.

*SplashsplunkSPLASH

...

And just like that, Michael and Sherry ended up owning their very own medieval merchant ship.

...

"How sinister of you, demanding they jump to their deaths." Sherry said, grinning.

"Deaths? Hardly. Just after I tossed that kraken back, I noticed some other inma down in the water. They must have followed the kraken up here to the surface." Michael reasoned.

Sherry side stepped and looked over the railing. Sure enough, the water was churning with activity as a swarm of sea inma captured the men. It was textbook, straight out of the Monster Girl Encyclopedia. Michael observed a flash of subtle disappointment cross her face.

"It's a shame it had to end this way. I was enjoying the peace and quiet." Michael said.

"I didn't want to tell you this until we arrived, but these lowlifes were planning on robbing us when we got off the ship." Sherry said.

"Oh well in that case, screw them." Could you help me toss that limp dick captain overboard?" Michael asked.

"Do not trouble yourself." Sherry said.

She raised a hand, and cast a spell. The captain and the other dead sailors were lifted up and tossed over the side, like throwing away a couple pieces of trash.

...

..

.

"So... do you know how to sail a ship?" Michael asked.

"No. Do you?" Sherry asked.

"...in theory." Michael said.

...

"I'll take the wheel, you search the ship for stragglers." Michael said.

"Yes sweetie. Guard yourself well, we don't need surprises." Sherry said.

Michael checked the magazine in his Beretta.

"Yep." Michael said simply.

.

..

...

The Lasalle sailed onward, with Michael at the helm and Sherry on the rigging. It might have even been fun, if it weren't for the way they had acquired that ship. Sherry flew up to the crow's nest with her succubus wings, and looked towards the distant horizon.

"LAND HO!" Sherry cheered.

...

"LAND HO!" Sherry repeated.

"I heard you! Or did you just want to say it twice?" Michael called.

"I wanted to say it twice!" Sherry shouted back.

Michael shook his head.

"What's her problem? We just had all that nasty stuff happen, and she doesn't even care. Does she enjoy killing or something? Sicko." Michael thought.

He tied down the wheel with a bit of rope, and hurried to the bow of the ship so he could see what Sherry was seeing. Sure enough, they were heading straight towards land. It surprised Michael just how close they were.

"So that's why it's called the Mist Continent. It's shrouded in mist. Go figure." Michael murmured.

...

"We're lucky those pirates decided to act up when we were so close to land, instead of a month ago when we set sail. I don't think I could have navigated this tub all the way here." Michael murmured.

*Flapflapflap

*THUD

Sherry landed next to him. The impact of her heels made the deck reverberate up Michael's jungle boots.

"So how shall we proceed? Shall we run the ship aground?" Sherry asked.

"No I don't think so. I don't want to destroy it. I keep calling it a tub, but this is actually a pretty nice ship. We'll drop anchor, and take a row boat to shore. The first town we come across, we'll tell them where we parked it." Michael said.

"You want to tell strangers that we committed mutiny on the high seas?" Sherry asked.

...

"We'll tell them we came across an abandoned ship." Michael said.

"That is much better." Sherry said, nodding.

So they sailed until they got close enough to land, and dropped the anchor. Then they spent an embarrassing amount of time messing with the rigging until they figured out how to completely lower the sails, which was followed by another embarrassing amount of time just trying to lower a row boat into the water. This whole process took hours. Finally, with their hard work completed, they did one last sweep of their cabin for anything they might have forgotten. Michael patted the door frame, and said goodbye to his temporary home.

...

They rowed and rowed, and progressively got closer to land. A rock outcropping to their left echoed with the sound of the crashing waves. To the right and dead ahead was a sandy beach which went around a bend and out of sight. Just beyond the beach was a forest shrouded in fog.

"We're almost there! Just a little further!" Michael panted.

"That's right, we're almost there~" Sherry said, grinning devilishly.

*Schhhrtt!

The boat stopped abruptly. Michael leaned over the side, and peered into the water. Sherry raked her eyes along the water line, looking for anything out of the ordinary.

"Well?" Sherry asked.

"Hmm, looks like we just hit a sand bar. It's only fifty yards to the beach, let's just wade over." Michael suggested.

"Certainly that is a good idea~ Go ahead, jump in~ I'm sure it's safe~" Sherry said, smirking.

So Michael rolled over and let himself splash into the water. The bottom was just shy of six feet, so he could just about touch it with the toe of his boots while keeping his mouth out of the water. Sherry was forced to tread water because she was shorter. Michael helped her by keeping an arm around her waist to keep her upright. After all, her iconic hip boots weren't the greatest thing for swimming. They waded ten yards, and the water got shallower.

"Okay sweetie, I can stand now. Thank you." Sherry said kindly.

Michael forged onwards, taking the lead towards the beach. Within minutes, he finally reached the edge of the sand. He dropped to his knees, and waved his arms in the air.

"YES! We did it! The Mist Continent!" Michael cheered.

...Silence

He turned to look back towards Sherry, but she was nowhere to be seen.

"SHERRY!" Michael shouted, jumping to his feet.

He looked up and down the shoreline, looking for any sign of her. His worst fear was a sudden current change might have carried her away. Although it was odd that she didn't even so much as call for help. With how much noise there was from the waves crashing against the rocks, he could have easily missed it. He was just about to rush out into the water to look for her, when a fountain of water erupted a few feet to the left. Sherry shot upwards, and took a huge gulp of air.

*GASP!

Seconds later, another figure emerged from the water behind Sherry.

"The kraken!" Michael thought.

Michael knew immediately what had just happened. The kraken meant to grab him, but grabbed Sherry by mistake. With the element of surprise lost, and with Michael safely on dry land, the kraken was forced to change tactics.

"I NEED TO SPEAK WITH YOU!" The kraken blurted loudly.

"Um... okay, go right ahead." Michael said.

Her eyes darted back and forth between Michael and Sherry.

"Not you! The succubus! Alone!" The kraken blurted.

...

"Okay... maybe it wasn't a mistake? Maybe she really did mean to grab Sherry? I'm confused." Michael thought.

He wiped his hands through his sopping wet hair.

"I'll go look for a good camp site. See you later." Michael said.

Sherry nodded.

"Tread carefully my love. This is a land of mystery, we don't know what dangers may lurk." Sherry warned.

Michael tapped on the slide of his holstered pistol which was hidden under his left armpit.

"If you hear a loud noise, it will be someone dying." Michael said.

And with that, Michael turned and marched into the mysterious foggy forest.

...

..

.

Sherry turned back to the kraken, and surveyed her from the top of her head to the tips of her tentacles. She was a lovely mature looking woman, with gentle eyes and a kind smile. Her muted violet hair reached all the way down to her luscious hips, which was where her human half ended and her squid half began. The squid arms churned the water all around her, keeping her stable in the quickly retreating tide. The kraken's eyes were a muted violet color, just like her hair. Her voice was deeper than Sherry's, warmer, and very sensual. Everything about her voice oozed seductiveness. Inevitably Sherry's eyes gravitated towards the kraken's most prominent feature... her massive rack. Each individual boob was bigger than Sherry's head. It was the most natural reaction for a woman like Sherry. She compared herself to her new potential rival. The kraken was beautiful, easily as beautiful as Sherry. But what's more, the kraken was the right kind of beautiful. Sherry knew that Michael was interested in krakens, but there were a lot of variety in krakens across the world. Not every one of them looked the same, and it so happened that the kraken before her succubus eyes managed to check every single one of Michael's preference boxes. She was even hiding the kraken headpiece, which was normally behind a typical kraken's head. Perfection.

"I approve. This one is a fitting mate for my husband. Now the obvious..." Sherry thought.

...

"You desire my husband. Why didn't you grab him instead of me? You could be making love right now if not for your mistake." Sherry stated.

The kraken seemed taken aback by Sherry's bluntness.

"I don't wish to take a man away from another inma!" The kraken blurted.

"Ah~ I see. You're one of THOSE kinds. You wish to ask for permission first." Sherry reasoned.

The kraken sank down, bowing her head to Sherry.

"Please show me mercy! I don't want to be alone anymore! Let me be with him... even if it's just a little. I won't be intrusive, I promise!" The kraken begged.

Sherry formed an evil smirk.

"I will share my husband with you equally, but you must accept my terms." Sherry said.

The kraken's eyes flicked upward, filled with hope.

"What are they?" The kraken asked.

"One... my husband is wanted by the Order. They seek his death. His future is filled with danger. I expect you to protect him, even at the cost of your own life. Considering he saved yours today, that should be an easy term to accept." Sherry said.

"It is. I accept this term. I will protect him with my life. What is the second term?" The kraken asked.

"I am the mistress of the household." Sherry said.

"Agreed." The kraken said.

"The third term... is more of a concept you must understand. I told you his life is in danger. If given the choice between saving his life or saving you, I will abandon you to save him. I expect you to do the same for me." Sherry said.

...

"...I accept." The kraken said reluctantly.

"Then it is your lucky day, for the wife of the man you fell in love with happens to not be greedy. Go, partake to your heart's content!" Sherry said, gesturing inland.

"Thank you! Thank you so much!" The kraken exclaimed happily.

She turned to crawl her kraken body out of the water and onto the shore, her squid arms pulling her along the ground. Pausing, she turned and looked back towards Sherry.

"What is his name?" The kraken asked.

"Michael Collins." Sherry said.

...

..

.

Michael was exploring the woods, looking for a nice spot to set up camp. He wanted somewhere cool, quiet, concealed, and near fresh water. He found nearly everything right away, except for the water.

"I wonder if Sherry can use magic to desalinate water. Then we'd be set." Michael thought.

He explored a little further, and paid close attention to the plants and wildlife. If he had a camera and a notepad, he would have been recording everything like some sort of Lewis and Clark wannabe. Of course everything he could find had some sort of equivalent back on Earth, some of which he recognized instantly.

"Oh! Durians! Hell yes! We're eating well tonight!" Michael thought.

But then there was a whole array of plants and animals he didn't recognize. He wondered if the new world contained the potential for new herbal medicines, or species of animals that had gone extinct on Earth.

...

Even as those thought rolled through his mind, he also worried about the potentially new monkey hanging off his back. The kraken had the potential to become a new Christine. Akia had handily solved that problem for him, but she wasn't around to solve the new one.

"I'm not stupid. I know what's going on here. I know what they're talking about over there. Or at least, I have a pretty good idea. And of course... now I realize how dangerous it was to be in that row boat, or to wade in the water." Michael thought.

...

"Stupid! Stupid stupid stupid! I am stupid! This is a different world, and I need to be on my guard! Stop acting like a stupid ass American tourist! Handgun...out!" Michael thought.

*Clackclack

"Stop goofing off. Find a spot to camp, and then roost! Wait for Sherry to dismiss that potential home wrecker, and then meet up! I need her to watch my back if I'm going to make it through this country unscathed. Check your magazine!" Michael thought.

He checked the magazine in the Beretta, and found it to be fully loaded. He had done his due diligence and topped the magazine off with loose cartridges after that encounter on the ship. With how out of sorts he was at the time, he prided himself on sticking to his training and muscle memory. He checked to make sure there was a round in the chamber... four times.

*Sigh...

"Okay self, you're way too wound up. It's just a kraken. It's just... the hottest freaking big titty monster... *SIGH!... breathe. Breathe you stupid mother fu..." Michael thought.

He holstered, drew, and holstered the handgun repeatedly. Eventually he took several deep breaths, and calmed himself down.

"It's possible that she's just trying to say thank you. Hey, maybe she brought a reward! Ehh... I'd refuse. I don't need it. There's probably nothing going to come of this." Michael thought.

...

"On the other hand... do I really trust Sherry to get rid of the kraken? She is a succubus, and she's a clone of Druella. Well... yeah I do. She made it abundantly clear that this is a one on one relationship. None of that anime harem crap that Druella was pushing." Michael thought.

For the first time ever, Michael was grateful that Sherry was a greedy slut. There's no way she would ever willingly share, especially when Michael was running pedal to the floor at six grand just to keep up. If he was pushed any harder, he'd get valve float.

...

"That kraken... she was looking a lot better. A healer must have come by and fixed her up. Or maybe she knows the same field-medic style healing spells as Sherry. No matter what happens, I'm glad she's okay." Michael thought.

...

*Rustle

Michael heard a sound in the bushes, so he turned towards it.

"Sherry...?" Michael started to say.

*SNAG

A pair of tentacles lashed out and grabbed his arms. All at once, he regretted thinking a positive thoughts about that kraken.

"Hello cutie pie~" The kraken said seductively.

She caught him just like a squid catches prey. Her two tentacles were stretched out over a dozen paces, and the club ends were tightly wrapped around his forearms. His arms were under lockdown so he couldn't draw his sidearm. He could feel the suckers gripping his skin tightly. Her squid arms slowly pulled her along the ground towards him, wrapping around tree trunks and rocks as she crawled.

"Hey look, about what happened on that ship..." Michael said nervously.

*YANK!

Michael let out a yelp as the tentacles tugged him right into her arms. Her tentacles coiled around his body, and her arms slid under his clothes.

"Let's see what we have here~" The kraken said.

*SCHRIP!

All she had to do was lightly flex her muscles, and his clothes exploded off his body. Luckily for him, they weren't any clothes he would miss. His leather boots and leather holster were the only things she pulled off normally. The moment she laid her eyes on his naked body, she let out a deep hum of satisfaction.

"Lovely, absolutely lovely~ What a handsome young man~" The kraken said.

"Please don't do this, I'm married!" Michael begged.

"I've already worked out a deal with the succubus. I expected her to demand more of me, but it seems she was quite willing to marry you off." The kraken said casually.

"WHAT?! No way! She'd never do that to me! That's not true!" Michael wailed.

"She did, and it seemed as if she were quite excited by the deal." The kraken said, smirking.

She lifted him up into the air, bringing his manhood up to eye level.

"You're well broken in, but I don't mind. That just means I can go all out without hurting you." The kraken said.

*Smooch

She kissed the tip of his cock, which instantly went erect.

...

She turned him left and right, and entirely upside down as she looked him over. Try as he might, he couldn't so much as budge those kraken arms. She didn't even seem to notice his pitiful attempts to get free. She held him tight, but she was gentle at the same time. He didn't feel any pain or discomfort from her manhandling.

"Enough playing around, it's time to do it!" The kraken said suddenly.

"NO NO NO NO!" Michael exclaimed.

"Yes yes yes yes~" The kraken countered.

"I freaking saved your life! You owe me!" Michael exclaimed.

"And I intend to repay that debt for the rest of your life~ One orgasm at a time~" The kraken countered.

She laid him on a patch of grass next to a moderately large tree, in a natural dip in the ground between the roots. Once there, she quickly shed the few clothes she was wearing, which mostly consisted of a skimpy one piece bikini. Michael tried to say something, but one of her squid arms wrapped around his head and covered his mouth.

"Don't ruin the moment~" The kraken whispered seductively.

Her squid arm slipped off his mouth, making room for her to squeeze in and kiss him.

*ZAP!

It felt like a bolt of lightning shot through his body. His eyelids drooped, and all attempts to escape ceased. There was something about her kiss that felt so good, so right, so perfect. It was the best kiss he had ever had. Better than Akia, better than Sherry, better than Druella. That first kiss put him under a spell that would change his life forever.

...

..

.

She raped him. There was no way Michael could ever resist such a powerful monster girl. She was far stronger than him, and she absolutely oozed magical seductive charm. It made Sherry look like a complete amateur, and it made it clear that Druella had sandbagged. That kraken was attacking him, no holds barred. It was the first time Michael had truly experienced a monster girl attack. It was fast, it was ferocious, and it was barely controlled. Her strength was so great, she snapped a nearby tree trunk during the first moment of penetration. And during the whole sordid affair, Sherry stood off to the side and watched. Michael didn't even notice her standing there until after he was already inside the kraken's soft folds. He reached for her with his hand.

"Sherry... please..." Michael pleaded.

"You had better perform, or you'll embarrass me." Sherry said coldly.

His hand fell, and clenched a fist full of grass. A single tear of betrayal fell from his eye.

...

..

.

~The Next Morning~

.

..

...

*Tweet

*CAW CAW

Michael's eyes opened, and beheld the vast blue sky above. Birds flew overhead, and frolicked around in the tree branches. He was splayed out on the ground, in the grass where the kraken had raped him the previous day.

"Something's... changed." Michael thought.

...

"Something's different." Michael thought.

...

He raised his hand and inspected it. The way the fine muscles moved when he wiggled his fingers didn't look quite right. It almost didn't look like his hand. His brain was making the hand move, it responded to his will. So surely it must be his hand. And surely it must be attached to his arm, and his shoulder, and by extension... his body. For several long moments, he felt a strong disassociation. And then it hit him. He ~wasn't~ in his body anymore. His body was gone, and a new body had been created.

...

His eyes trailed upwards again. The sky looked different. The colors were... vivid. Never before had the world seemed so bright and vivid to Michael's eyes. Everything was crystal clear, as if he had finally removed a pair of greasy lenses from over his eyes. And then he noticed his sense of touch was vastly improved. He could feel the touch of the grass below him, each individual grain of sand, and every leaf. Every one of his senses were expanded beyond anything he had before.

...

It wasn't just his body that had been improved. His mind was clearer than ever. The mental fog had been lifted. And with that clarity came the ability to remember. Every lesson he learned at college was perfectly clear, standing before his mind's eye on a pedestal for review. Every moment of his childhood, every past mistake, every embarrassing moment... all crystal clear. Memories long forgotten began to bubble up to the surface. The name of the neighbor's cat, the flavor of the first birthday cake he had ever eaten, and even the numbers to his first credit card.

*Inhaaaaaale

His eyes narrowed, and a deep scowl formed on his face. He had just remembered things that he wasn't meant to remember. Things that some certain people had tried really hard to force him to forget.

*SHRIIIIP

His fist ripped out a clump of grass.

...

..

.

The kraken and Sherry were sitting near a small camp fire, a short distance away from where Michael had awoken. They looked up and smiled when they saw (a very naked) Michael walk into camp. He strode in with purpose, with his head held high. Hanging from his left hand was his Beretta 92 model S in the leather shoulder holster, as well as the tattered remains of his clothes and his pair of soggy boots.

"Oh my, look who's extra sexy this morning. Have a good sleep?" Sherry asked.

Michael walked straight towards her, and she tracked him with her crimson succubus eyes.

"Can I borrow the gateway ring?" Michael asked.

...

"... why?" Sherry asked.

"I want to see it." Michael said.

"That's not much of a reason. I think I'll hold onto it for a..." Sherry tried to say.

*SMACK!

He backhanded her clean off the log she was sitting on, then drew his handgun in one smooth motion. Sherry wiped blood from her mouth. Payback had begun.

"Let me try phrasing it a different way. Give me the ring now, or I'll cut off your finger and take it!" Michael commanded.

"Hey wait a minute... is this about me!?" The kraken asked.

"Stay out of this!" Michael barked angrily.

"Ahh!" The kraken cried.

*POOF

She disappeared in a puff of crimson. With the moment of distraction, Sherry took the opportunity to try to disarm Michael. She caught his wrist and tried to deflect the muzzle of the pistol away from her head.

"Hyyyyyrrrrrrggggg!" Sherry strained.

His wrist didn't budge. Dropping the holster, Michael grabbed her wrist with his left hand. He squeezed, and she let out a yelp of pain.

"Oh I forgot to mention... I'm an incubus now. Surprise motherfucker!" Michael spat angrily.

Sherry gasped. For one, she had never heard him actually drop an F bomb. Second, she had never seen him so angry before. She looked in his eyes, and his once brown eyes were crimson. Gone was the human who she could push over any old time she wanted. Gone was the weakling who folded like a wet diaper at her every whim. His eyes were brimming with the raw magical power she had been feeding him for months. His face was etched with a rage the likes of which she had never seen in her entire life. Not even the berserkers of the Order could ever muster a rage like that.

"Did you really think I wouldn't ever remember what you did to me!?" Michael hissed.

*Creeeeak

Sherry gasped as Michael slowly twisted her wrist. Even her dulled succubus sense of pain couldn't shield her from him.

"YOU SHOULD BE REALLY FUCKING HAPPY I DIDN'T IMMEDIATELY SHOOT YOU ON SIGHT! GIVE ME THE MOTHER FUCKING RING!" Michael boomed.

"Okay! Okay okay... here... take it!" Sherry blurted frantically.

She took the ring off and tossed it to him. He snatched it out of mid air.

"Now give me my stuff. My pack with all my gear, and the M14! NOW!" Michael commanded.

Sherry pulled the items in question out of her pocket dimension, and laid them on the ground. He wanted the pack mostly because it contained a small magical box with a miniature Plymouth Duster inside. And of course he wanted his rifle, mostly because he had a feeling he would need it in the next minute or so.

"Now back up! Way back! Do it, or I'll pop you like I popped that douchebag captain!" Michael commanded.

Sherry backed away from camp, giving Michael some breathing room to heft his M14. He noticed one of his Revereware frying pans near the camp fire. Just seeing it reminded Michael of how she basically had him pissing his pants a month prior. It infuriated him even more.

"Warp my frying pan will you, I should warp your fucking face!" Michael spat.

"You do not speak to me in that manner!" Sherry barked angrily.

*Kaboom!

Sherry jumped when a 147 grain chunk of lead hit the ground next to her foot at 2750 feet per second.

"I'll speak to you any way I want, and my M1 does my talking!" Michael spat.

He slipped the gateway ring on his pinky. It was the only finger small enough that would actually fit the ring.

*Whoooosh

The gateway appeared, and Michael smirked. It was easier to use than he thought. All he had to do was ~want~ the gateway to form, and it formed.

*Gloop!

He threw his pack through the gateway, followed by his Beretta and matching holster. The last thing to get thrown through was the frying pan. With the M14 in hand, he started backing towards the gateway.

"Consider this a divorce!" Michael barked.

"No!" Sherry screamed.

She suddenly shot across the camp. Using magic to propel herself to great speeds, she made a final desperate lunge for Michael. All she managed to grab was the dangling sling of his rifle, which she tugged on with all her might.

*CRACK

Michael punched her, and she reeled backwards. Moments later, Michael landed ass first in the Quonset hut of Fort Chell, minus his M14.

*POP

He shut the gateway, trapping Sherry on the other side. Then he grabbed the Beretta, and waited for something to happen.

*Hah...hah... hah...

Michael gulped down air, and struggled to get his heart under control. That had been a close one. The gateway never activated again, Sherry had no means of controlling it from her end. At long last, Michael was free.

"I win!" Michael cheered.

He stood, and slid the gateway ring off his pinky.

*Plink

*Rattle

The ring clattered as Michael dropped it down the sink drain. With that out of the way, he turned his attention to his stuff laying on the floor. The first order of business was to dig out a set of clothes from the pack so he wouldn't have a modesty problem. The first thing he noticed was how his clothes didn't quite fit the way they used to fit. They were still good enough, but he needed to adjust a few things. It involved cinching his belt in further than it used to go, indicating that Michael was just ever so slightly thinner in the waist. What little padding he might have had on his belly when he was human was completely stripped away. Then he had to readjust his boot laces, because they didn't quite fit the shape of his ankles anymore.

...

Once he was dressed, he dug around in his pack and retrieved an all too familiar looking magical box. Inside that box was a miniature 1971 Plymouth Duster, which he carefully pulled out and set on the ground outside the hut.

"Erection." Michael muttered.

The Duster expanded to full size, and landed perfectly on the designated parking spot just outside the Quonset hut. Within moments, he was driving through the portal back to Earth.

...

Meanwhile, a radio call went out on the multitude of military VHF radios surrounding Fort Chell.

"Hey, did you guys see that white rook is back?" The radio hissed.

"No shit, really? Where's headless horseman? She needs to hear about this!"

"She's at home. Someone had better call her cell."

The news spread quickly. Soldiers and civilians from Fort Chell and the theater on 5th and B started blowing up Stavish's phone with text messages, letting her know that Michael was back. Akia, Mackenzie, Sakia, Alistair, Desdemona, and even Serena heard the news. Everyone hopped in their cars and made a beeline for Michael's apartment.

...

..

.

When they arrived, they found the place ransacked.

.

..

...

Stavish was the first to arrive, followed closely by Serena. The two of them marched up the steps together and entered the apartment.

"Wow..." Stavish and Serena both said.

Stuff was strewn everywhere. In one corner of the living room, a mound of camping gear was haphazardly thrown into a pile. It was all the extra gear that Michael didn't need, like Miranda's and Akia's tents, women's clothes, and other similar sundry things. Several items were missing from the apartment, most notably out of Michael's lab. It was ransacked, hard drives were missing from Michael's desktop, the 3d printer laptop was gone, and many tools were missing. When the two women made their way into the kitchen, they first found Michael's Berkey water filter was missing. Utencils, plates, cooking ware, and other such basic necessary things were gone. Everything else was tossed around haphazardly.

...

Right as they made their way back out of the kitchen, Alistair, Mackenzie, Sakia, Desdemona, and Akia all arrived. They filtered in through the door, and looked around in shock. Even Akia was shocked.

"Whoa, this place is trashed! What the bloody hell happened here?" Alistair exclaimed.

"I don't know. Someone rummaged the place." Stavish said.

"Is anything missing?" Desdemona asked.

"Yup. Does anyone know if Mike kept valuables around here? Like money, precious metals, or whatever?" Serena asked.

"Master kept some money in the master bedroom." Akia said.

"Could you please check if it's still there?" Serena asked.

They all followed Akia, who lead them straight through the master bedroom and into the master closet. And sure enough, it was absolutely horrific. Sherry's clothes had been ripped off the hangers and thrown everywhere. It looked like someone took out their rage on the closet, above and beyond what the rest of the apartment received. Akia found an empty cookie tin on the floor, which she picked up and showed to Serena.

"How much was in there?" Serena asked.

"An unknown quantity numbering in the thousands." Akia said.

"Shit. I'd better call in the crew. All of you need to get out before the crime scene gets spoiled." Serena said.

"The money was not stolen. My sensors indicate only master's fingerprints are on this tin." Akia said.

"You're sure?" Serena asked.

Akia nodded.

"So... Mike did all this? Why would he trash his own apartment?" Alistair asked.

"Collins-san must have been very angry." Sakia noted.

...

"Hey, did anyone else notice this tape player on the bed?" Mackenzie interjected.

Everyone turned towards the master bed, and looked at the tape player that Mackenzie had found. It had a sticker on it, with a little hand drawn arrow pointing towards PLAY. Alistair reached out and pushed the button. Within moments, the mournful sound of Marty Robbins singing 'I'll Go On Alone' came from the speaker.

~We're traveling down two different roads
In worlds so far apart
You want me yet there's something else
Before me in your heart
You're wanting me to change my life
The way you're living yours
But I can't change, I see no way
You wanted me before

If you don't want me like I am
Then please don't pity me
If you can't change a little bit
Then why not set me free
If we can't live together then
It's best we live apart
You go your way and I'll go mine
We'll both make brand new starts

There's nothing we can do it seems
We'll never get along
With you believin' like you do
You say I live so wrong
But I can't change my way of life
I've lived it much too long
You'll either take me like I am
Or I'll go on alone

So either say you want my love
Or take the way you live
Remember though before you get
You've got to learn to give
So if it's change my life or go
Then go it's gonna be
'Cause I can't change my life when you
Want something more than me~

"Jesus H... it's a breakup song. He took his stuff and moved out." Serena muttered.

She turned and rushed out of the apartment, jumped into her cruiser, and peeled away. Desdemona pushed rewind on the tape player, and put it back where it had been before they messed with it.

"What changed?" Alistair asked.

"Isn't it obvious? He figured it out and he dumped her. Good for him!" Mackenzie exclaimed.

"I'm proud that he got the strength to do it himself, but... " Stavish trailed off.

"Where is he now?" Everyone else asked.

...

..

.

Michael was making his way down a quiet neighborhood street not far from the apartment. It was late, the sun had already gone down, with just the last few rays of light illuminating the town.

*WIPWIP!

His eyes went up to the rear view mirror, and he groaned internally. A police cruiser was following him with its lights flashing. The Duster came to a gentle stop on the side of the road. Following usual procedure, Michael rolled down the driver window and retrieved his documents from the glove box. The officer came up to the door and shined a flashlight inside.

"Well well well, look who we have here. License, registration, and proof of insurance please." Serena said, grinning.

*Sigh

He handed over the papers, and she didn't even bother looking at them.

"So what did I do wrong?" Michael asked.

"Do you know the speed limit through here?" Serena asked.

"Twenty five." Michael said.

"And do you know how fast you were going?" Serena asked.

"Twenty five." Michael said dryly.

"Wrong! You were going twenty four!" Serena exclaimed.

Michael clenched his steering wheel.

"Are you shitting me right now!?" Michael shot.

"Hey watch your mouth! Just for that, I'm not letting you off easy!" Serena shot.

Serena shined her flashlight all around inside the Duster, both in the front and back seats.

"I see you don't have any passengers today." Serena said.

Michael glared at her. She returned the glare with a smug smirk.

"I'll be right back. Don't even think of making a break for it." Serena warned.

"If I was going to do that, I wouldn't have pulled over in the first place you idiot." Michael shot angrily.

"Hehe, yeah~. But you did, like a good little citizen~." Serena gloated.

...

She walked back to her cruiser, and got on the police radio.

"Hey Charlie Lima five, it's Alpha Lima 19. I'm over on twelfth street, just past the college. Could you and Charlie Lima eight block off twelfth between here and the intersection with the gas station? I don't want any traffic coming through." Serena said over the radio.

...

Meanwhile, Michael fidgeted nervously in the Duster. He wondered if Sherry had somehow found a way to contact people on Earth and ask them for help. It seemed odd how long Serena was taking to come back with his paperwork.

"Oh good, here she comes. Finally." Michael thought.

Serena came up to the driver window.

"I need you to step out of the vehicle please." Serena said.

"What?! Why?!" Michael demanded.

"I have reason to believe you have illegal weapons in your vehicle. I need to check." Serena said.

"You son of a fracking..." Michael grumbled.

"The best thing for you to do is comply." Serena warned.

He undid his seatbelt and slid out of the car. Within moments, he found himself bent over the trunk while she patted him down. It didn't take her long to find the Beretta under his left arm. She confiscated it and stuffed it in her belt Mexican style, which wasn't normal police procedure. She took his magazines too. There wasn't anything else in his pockets, other than a handkerchief and some lip balm. His wallet and pocket knife were still in the car.

"You're wasting your time copper. Everything I have in this car is perfectly legal." Michael shot, annoyed.

"Yeah sure, I'm still gonna look." Serena said bluntly.

*Patpatpat

Her strip search worked its way down, patting his legs on the inside and out. And then... she grabbed a handful of his manhood.

"See? I knew it! You're packing a dangerous weapon here~" Serena said seductively.

"What the hell are you..." Michael started to say.

*Prick~

Michael gasped, and collapsed against the trunk lid. It was just the tiniest of pricks against his neck, but the manticore venom felt like lava entering his veins. It wasn't painful, on the contrary it was the most pleasurable sensation he had ever felt in his life. It was as if all his senses had been sleeping, and the venom woke them up. He felt more of everything, sense of taste, sense of touch, sense of smell. Even with as changed as his body was, the venom pushed it to the limit just that much more. It lit a fire in him that needed to be extinguished at all costs.

"You're packing a dangerous weapon, and you've used it against two..." Serena said.

*Sniffsniff

"...make that three innocent women. So I'm confiscating your cock." Serena said.

She rolled him over, and slid his pants down. Her manticore tail bobbed, the fleshy petals peeled back to reveal the soft puffy interior.

"Already got a woody huh? What a horndog. I guess that means you're ready, so I'm taking a nibble." Serena said.

The tail pussy slid between his legs, and gobbled up his diamond hard manhood. He came instantly.

"GAAAH!" Michael cried.

"Holy shit dude, that was a lot! And it fucking tastes amazing~" Serena marveled.

Her tail muscles contracted, and he came again. He yelped just like before.

"That's right! Cum! Cum your dirty little heart out! I'll milk you dry, and then I'll throw you in jail for a snack later! Cum like a good little cum fountain!" Serena exclaimed, laughing evilly.

...

..

.

~Much Later~

.

..

...

Michael slowly slid to the ground into a puddle of their collective juices. The bumper of the Duster was the only thing holding him upright.

"Damn, I've been waiting for that for a long time. Say... since you're dumping Searraigh, want to be my boyfriend?" Serena asked.

Michael remained silent, staring distantly at her uniform boots. She tapped him lightly in the shin, and he didn't react.

"Heh, I guess you jizzed your brains out. That's fine, it won't be the last time. You're a damn fine hunk of meat~" Serena purred.

She turned towards her cruiser, and then hesitated.

"Oh yeah, here you go." Serena said.

She tossed his license and registration into his lap. He didn't even flinch.

"Heh, I might not even bother putting cuffs on you. At least not until we get to my condo, then we're going to do all sorts of kinky shit like that~." Serena said, grinning lewdly.

She went to the door of her cruiser, tossed Michael's Beretta onto the passenger seat, and grabbed her radio microphone.

"This is Alpha Lima 19, I need a tow truck on twelfth and..." Serena started to say over the radio.

*SLAM!

Her eyes shot up to the Duster. Michael had taken the opportunity when she wasn't looking to low crawl back into his car. He had been faking, and waiting for a chance to escape.

*Whirrwhirrwhirr

*BRAAAAA!

"HALT!" Serena barked.

The Duster disappeared in a cloud of tire smoke. Serena jumped in her cruiser, and took off after him. Michael blew right past the police blockade a block down the street, and hooked a left onto the main drag. Serena nailed the Crown Vic's pedal to the floor, and flipped the switch for her sirens.

"This is AL19 in hot pursuit, suspect vehicle is a black Plymouth Duster, license plate... WHOA!" Serena exclaimed.

Michael brake checked her, forcing Serena to make an emergency swerve to the right of some other cars. He spun the Duster around a hundred and eighty degrees, and went the opposite way down the road. The 440 roared at six grand as Michael expertly slalomed through traffic. The Carter Thermoquad moaned and wailed like a banshee as the secondaries pegged wide open, pouring the go juice down the gullet of the thirsty big block. He swung a right turn, screamed through two red lights, and flew out of town heading north.

...

Serena followed him as best she could, but that old tired Crown Vic couldn't keep up with Michael's relatively fresh Mopar. Police cruisers were designed for high speed and high performance... when new. But the engine was tired ten years later, and with 300,000 miles on the odometer. Her small department simply couldn't afford to keep every officer in fresh new interceptors all the time. He eventually outpaced her when he got to the interstate, where he headed due east. She came to a halt on the side of the road, and punched her headliner while the Duster roared into the distance.

*BRAAAAAAAAAaaaaaa...

"Fuck!" Serena shouted.

The Duster passed a sign that said 'Welcome to New Mexico - The Land of Enchantment'.

...

..

.

~Several Days Later~

.

..

...

"...and in other news, a massive blizzard threatens to shut down the 25 north of Albuquerque. Experts say this could be the biggest snow storm New Mexico has ever seen." The radio hissed.

Michael reached over and clicked his car radio off, silencing the news reporter.

"No shit Sherlock. It's already here." Michael grumbled.

The Duster was parked at the outermost edge of a Loves truck stop parking lot, and was already covered up to the lug nuts in snow. The blizzard swirled violently in the darkness outside, shutting down the freeway of all travel for the foreseeable future. With his road closed, and nowhere else to go, Michael grabbed some blankets and tried to get some sleep that night.

*Knockknockknock

Michael jerked out of a doze, and looked up towards the driver side window. His first worry was the cops, followed by someone from Loves telling him he couldn't park there, followed by angry truckers who didn't want him hogging parking space. It was hard to tell who was knocking on the window with all the snow flying around.

*Knockknockknock

In the darkness of the blizzard, Michael caught a glimpse of a horn on someone's head. That was all the information he needed to figuratively crap his pants.

"Oh frack!" Michael exclaimed.

He threw the blanket off, and scrambled for his keys.

*Whirrwhirr

*BRAAAA!

*SQUEEEEEEAL

He nailed the gas, but the Duster wasn't moving. The whole car creaked and moaned in protest, and tilted as if the rear of the car were lifted into the air. He was completely immobile.

*Deedle-oodoo deedle-oodoo deedle-oodoo-doo

His eyes shot down to the Nokia 3390 sitting on the passenger seat. The pixel art of a waving automaton appeared on the screen.

*Deedle-oodoo deedle-oodoo deedle-oodoo-doo

He hesitantly leaned over, and answered it.

"Hello master. I have lifted the rear wheels of your vehicle off the ground, rendering you unable to move. Please unlock the passenger side door." The phone said.

His heart started to pound in his chest.

" Damn you Akia! I'm not going back! You can't make me! I'll fight!" Michael shouted into the phone.

"I do not wish to take you anywhere. I wish to exchange data. Please unlock the passenger side door lock. I will not lower the Duster until you do so." The phone said.

"I don't trust you! Sherry might have sent you!" Michael retorted into the phone.

...

There was an audible pause.

...

"I do not serve entity Searraigh Fontaine." The phone said.

The Duster sputtered silent. Akia very carefully lowered the Duster back down on all four wheels, and rounded the car on the passenger side. The phone call ended.

*Knockknockknock

Michael hesitated a second, sighed, and leaned over to pull up the lock button. When she opened the door, a blast of frigid air smacked Michael right in the face.

*Sliiiide

*Clunk!

She closed the door quickly, to retain as much heat as possible inside the car.

"How did you find me?" Michael asked.

"I found you by tracking your cellular telephone. It first made connection to the cellular network at 2:33pm the day before yesterday." Akia noted.

Michael groaned internally. He only turned the phone on to check the time, and forgot to turn it off again.

"Okay... say your peace, and be quick about it." Michael said bluntly.

...

"I'm sorry master." Akia said.

"Sorry? That's what you came all this way to say? Sorry!?" Michael shot.

"Yes master. I attempted to remove you from entity Searraigh's presence when I learned of the danger she posed. I failed in this task. Entity Searraigh was victorious, and threatened to never let me see you again if I did not willingly return to Fort Chell." Akia explained.

Michael made a face.

"When the hell did that happen!?" Michael asked.

"Remember the day I repaired your frying pan with my blaster? We were traveling to Osaport." Akia recounted.

A flash of recognition crossed Michael's face. He knew exactly when she was talking about. It was the very last time he saw her, or Miranda for that matter. At that point he was so screwed up in the head by Sherry's magic, he didn't really question why they suddenly disappeared under suspicious circumstances. He also didn't question why they somehow magically made it several days down the road, presumably Sherry drove while he was under the influence.

...

"So... you knew what she did, and you... tried... to help me..." Michael trailed off.

...

"Why should I believe you!?" Michael asked, eyes narrowed.

Akia's answer came instantly. Clearly she had already thought up an answer ahead of time.

"My central core houses all my data banks. Every part of my personality is pre-programmed within my core. If someone were to alter or destroy those data banks, then the entity you know as Akia would cease to exist." Akia explained.

"Okay?" Michael said, confused.

"Entity Searraigh attempted to alter your data banks. Therefore, you would cease to exist. That means entity Searraigh attempted to murder you. It is my duty to stop her. I must remove you from entity Searraigh's presence." Akia concluded.

...

"My primary directive is to protect and serve my master, the one I performed Authentication Registration with. Not with an entity similar, but not identical, to my master. I must preserve my master in his entirety." Akia explained.

...

..

.

"So you clearly thought that out. Now let me tell you a thing or two from my perspective." Michael said.

He cleared his throat.

"I left Sherry on the Mist Continent. I'm sure she won't die, but I ditched her there to fend for herself. As I was leaving the apartment, I thought... maybe I went too far. She did... well... love me, at least a little. Even though the whole situation was shit." Michael explained.

...

"I thought that maybe since I'm an incubus now, I should go back and get her. Maybe I could fend her off, and work something out between us. Then you want to know what happened?" Michael asked.

"What master?" Akia asked.

"Serena pulled me over, abused her power as a police officer to get me out of my car, and raped me on the side of the road. I couldn't stop her. I... I tried... and I couldn't..." Michael warbled.

Akia formed a distressed look in the corner of her eye.

"I'm an American! I believe in freedom! What did I do? I took AWAY freedom from people! That was the last thing I ever wanted to do! It took being raped myself to finally realize what I've done! All these people, their lives ruined because of these damn monsters, and somehow I justified it in my twisted mind!" Michael choked.

*WHAMWHAMWHAM

He whacked his head against the steering wheel.

"What the hell was wrong with me?! WHY THE HELL DID I LET THIS HAPPEN?!" Michael bellowed.

"I don't know master." Akia said softly.

.

..

...

*Deep breath

*Sigh

...

"So I don't want anything to do with monster girls anymore." Michael said quietly.

"Yes master, I agree." Akia said.

"And you're a monster girl." Michael reminded.

"Error. I am an automaton, not a monster girl." Akia said.

"Same difference." Michael muttered.

...

"You want me to leave? Where should I go?" Akia asked.

"Anywhere you want, just not here." Michael said bluntly.

Outwardly Akia didn't show much reaction. Just a little tiny bit of emotion in the corner of her eye. But inward was a totally different story. She was heartbroken... or whatever was the automaton equivalent.

"I understand master. Since my services are no longer required, I shall return to base and enter a low power state." Akia said evenly.

"Return to base? Low power state? What does that mean?" Michael asked.

"My default base is the lab owned by Zellie the gremlin. Once there, I will enter a low power standby mode in my storage case while I await your return. Should you require me again, I will immediately reactivate on verbal command." Akia explained.

She caught the door latch, and popped the door open. Cold air blasted into the Duster. Her legs swung out into the snow.

"Goodbye master. Please return before your service life has ended." Akia said softly.

...

..

.

He caught her wrist.

"Oh no you don't! Get back in the car!" Michael exclaimed.

"Yes master." Akia said obediently.

She swung her legs back into the car, and closed the door.

"Why can't you just go live your life like a normal person?! I set you free!" Michael exclaimed.

"I chose to serve you when you set me free. I do not wish to do anything else." Akia reminded.

Michael's face twisted in pain.

"Akia, I can't be hurt anymore. I can't take it. If you hurt me too... " Michael choked.

"As you have noted multiple times master, I am a machine." Akia stated, matter of fact.

"That's... right! You are a machine." Michael realized.

The look on Michael's face said it all. The light bulb went off in his head. He remembered all the times when he voiced his trust of machines over people. He remembered all the times he complained, wishing people were more logical and straightforward like machines. He couldn't think of a single time a machine ever hurt him out of malice. Machines just did what they were designed to do, until they broke, and then it was his job to put them back together again. His relationship with machines went deep. If there were anything in the world he could trust, it would be for a machine to be a machine.

...

He looked away, his eyes looking out towards the pool of blackness on the other side of the driver door window. Several long moments passed as Michael considered his options. Akia remained utterly silent and motionless. It was her equivalent to a ready prompt and blinking cursor on an old 8-bit computer, ready for someone to type in new instructions. Until then, she would sit there and wait... forever if needed. It was unending eternal patience, another trait that Michael adored.

...

..

.

"I can't promise you much of a life. Everything I own is in this car. I'm not even sure I can take care of myself, much less another person." Michael said quietly.

"My self-repair picobots will maintain my systems indefinitely, assuming I can find raw materials. Your careful repair of my systems saw to that." Akia said.

Her subtle praise did not escape him. It made him feel good inside, another of Akia's qualities. Michael couldn't remember a single time Akia had ever made him feel bad inside, other than one misunderstanding right when she was first activated. Otherwise, he genuinely enjoyed her company.

"Please allow me to remain in your company. I do not require any food, climate control, or medical care like an organic does. It would only be logical to allow me to remain." Akia argued.

Michael set his jaw.

"I'm not letting you go back into that glass box." Michael grumbled.

"Does that mean...?" Akia said, hopeful.

...

"This isn't going to end well. Fine, you're staying." Michael said with an air of finality.

"Yes master! Thank you master!" Akia said, smiling faintly.

"Lock the door." Michael instructed.

Akia pivoted around and locked the passenger door of the Duster.

"Please resume whatever activity you were doing before I arrived. I do not want to interfere." Akia said.

"I was trying to sleep." Michael said.

"Please continue. My chronometer indicates it is past the time you usually enter sleep mode." Akia encouraged.

His heart fluttered in his chest. There she went, making him feel good inside. He felt a lot of relief after telling her to stay. Deep down, he was worried about making the wrong decision. Letting her stay felt like the correct move.

"Well um... I was planning on leaning over and using the whole front of the car. I guess I'll sleep in the back." Michael said.

"If that pleases you master." Akia said.

"No, it definitely doesn't. I just have to play the hand I'm dealt." Michael said softly.

Michael went to shove his blankets into the back seat, but he hesitated part way.

"You won't do anything to me while I'm sleeping, will you?" Michael asked hesitantly.

"No master, not unless you tell me to do so." Akia said.

"And nobody gave you instructions other than me?" Michael asked.

...

"If I answer no, you might be suspicious that someone ordered me to lie." Akia noted.

"True. On the other hand, my orders supersede all other orders, correct?" Michael asked.

"Yes master." Akia said.

"However, someone could have instructed you to say that just now." Michael said.

"That is true also master." Akia said.

...

Michael grunted, and decided to let the issue go. Mostly because he was too tired to deal with it. So he threw the blankets in the back seat, and wiggled his body over until he landed on the blankets.

"Good night." Michael said.

"Good night master. Please acquire sufficient rest." Akia said.

"That don't come easy these days." Michael grumbled.

He slid his body under the blankets, and wadded up a pair of jeans for a pillow. Since he was so tall, he was all scrunched up in the back seat. He tucked himself in tightly, and closed his eyes.

...

..

.

.

.

.

Michael had a dream that night. It started off as a memory of his very early childhood, on his first day at kindergarten.

"Hello! My name's Mikey, will you be my friend?" Young Michael asked.

He went from person to person, asking the same thing. Each time, he was ignored or laughed at.

"How about you? Will you be my friend?" Young Michael asked, determined.

Years passed in moments as the dream went from one disjointed memory to the next. The next chapter placed him in middle school, which was entirely home-schooled.

...

"Why can't I have any friends dad?" Young Michael asked.

"You'll get over it, now do your fucking chores. I want that fucking ditch dug by the end of the day." Michael's father said.

"It's hard! My hands hurt! I have blisters!" Young Michael protested.

"Deal with it like a fucking man." Michael's father said.

The memory shifted again, to Michael's later middle school years.

"You play too many fucking video games." Michael's father said.

"What else is there to do? I have nobody to talk to." Young Michael said.

"There's work. Now get outside and fucking start shoveling. I want all the fucking dog shit picked up, and I want those twenty new bare root trees planted before tomorrow." Michael's father said.

"You said you were going to do half. When are you going to help?" Young Michael asked.

"Don't you talk back to me! Do as I fucking say!" Michael's father barked.

...

The image shifted to much later. Adulthood. 18 years old.

"Happy birthday. Now get the fuck out of my house." Michael's father said.

"But I haven't finished high school yet! I only have a couple months left!" Michael exclaimed.

"I don't care! Just get the fuck out! I've had enough of you in my house!" Michael's father said.

"I know. I started packing a month ago. I just hoped you would at least help me get my diploma." Michael said dejectedly.

"I don't give a fuck about your diploma. Before you leave, I have to inspect your stuff to make sure you aren't stealing from me." Michael's father said.

"Bastard! What have I ever done to you?" Michael exclaimed.

"You're a fat lazy fucker, and you're never going anywhere in life. I know it, and you know it. So I want to make sure I keep my stuff!" Michael's father spat.

The conversation devolved into a huge fight, and the last words that Michael ever heard from his father were 'eat shit and die', punctuated with multiple F bombs. He wound up renting a room at a friend's house. It was the same 'friend' who went on to ban Michael from the gaming clan because Sherry did naughty things on livestream.

...

The image shifted to a few years later, when Michael was walking into his first day at college.

"New town, new people. Maybe I can find friends here? Hey there, want to hang out later? I have a really cool game collection..." Michael asked nicely.

"No way. You stink. Go bother someone else fatso."

"I don't stink! I just took a shower thirty minutes ago!" Michael argued.

"You're fat, so you must stink. Fuck off."

"What'd I ever do to you?" Michael asked.

"You exist. Fucking California welfare leech."

"I've never taken a single penny of welfare in my life. And I don't even like California!" Michael argued.

"So you're a liar and a leech. Go back! Get out of our state! You're not welcome here!"

"Frack you! This is my home now!" Michael shot.

"Frack me? Seriously? Frack? Fucking nerd!"

"I don't like to say the other word, because my father..." Michael started.

"I still don't give a fuck. Go away." "...have a nice day." Michael forced.

...

At that point in the dream, the images started to get surreal. It felt like a room was squeezing in on him from every direction. He banged on a window in his tiny room, shouting to the people walking outside. The whole world was boxing him in, and he couldn't escape on his own.

*taptaptap

"Let me out! I just want to be friends!" Michael cried.

Nobody answered. They wouldn't even have the courtesy to insult him anymore. All the people passing by just ignored him as he patted on the glass window. One person glanced up at him, and his heart soared.

"Hey! Please let me out! I'll be your friend and I'll always stay by your side! I promise! Wait! Don't walk away! Just look at me! Give me a chance! Just one chance! I'm a good person!" Michael cried.

They walked away.

...

Michael broke down crying. He wondered what was wrong with him that caused all those people to hate him so much. It felt like he had been there for an eternity, tapping on that glass and trying to talk to people. Was he defective somehow? Was it really because of his weight? If that's what people cared about and nothing else, then screw them. The whole system sucked, and he didn't want anything to do with it anymore.

"Just kill me please." Michael muttered.

...

..

.

*Click...creeeak

Michael's eyes shot up. The window opened, and someone was standing on the other side. For several long moments, Michael was very confused. The person looked just like him, as if he were looking in a mirror.

"Don't worry. One of these days I'll figure out how to get you working. You deserve a chance to live, and go see the world with your own eyes. I'll try my best to make it happen." The double said.

The window closed again, and he saw his own reflection. It wasn't his face anymore. It was Akia's face. He wasn't in a small room, he was actually standing inside a warded glass case.

"Thank you master! I'll be your friend forever!" Michael said cheerfully.

...

..

.

*GASP!

Michael jerked awake. Akia's head whirled around, and she inspected him with those crystal blue eyes of hers.

"Are you okay master?" Akia asked.

*SNAG

He grabbed her from the rear seat, and gave her a massive hug. She returned it immediately.

"I'm sorry! I never should have tried to send you away!" Michael exclaimed tearfully.

"Please don't cry master. It is not necessary." Akia said softly.

She squeezed him tight, but the tears kept coming. They rolled off her shoulder, and soaked into her blouse.

"Master please, everything is operating normally. Please do not cry." Akia pleaded.

It didn't matter. He had years of pent up emotions to let out, and there was no stopping them anymore. So Akia did the only thing she could do, which was hold him tight and wait until the tsunami was over.

...

Michael didn't let her go for several long minutes. When he finally released her, she wiped his tears with a napkin.

"You and I... we're the same. Nobody wanted either of us. You were left abandoned for parts in a warded glass case, and I was abandoned on the streets to fend for myself. From now on, you and I are sticking together." Michael said softly.

"Yes master." Akia said.

Michael smiled warmly, which was immediately mirrored by Akia with her own sort of subtle automaton smile.

...

"Please return to under the blankets master. My sensors indicate your body temperature is dropping." Akia said.

"Okay. I'm..." Michael started to say.

"No further words are required. We may continue our conversation tomorrow morning." Akia said.

She reached her arm over the back of the seat, and tried to pull the blanket over Michael. While she didn't voice her concern, her actions made it clear that she was worried about him. He appreciated the sentiment a whole lot.

*Shuffle

He laid back down, and pulled the blanket up to his nose. Akia was correct, he felt very cold.

"That hacked PSP is under the passenger seat." Michael said, muffled.

Akia's eyes immediately lit up.

"Thank you master! I'll use headphones so I don't disturb you." Akia said cheerfully.

"Good night." Michael said, muffled.

And with that, his eyes fluttered shut again. He didn't have any other dreams that night. He slept peacefully. His conscience was finally clear... at least when it came to Akia.

...

..

.

~The Next Morning~

.

..

...

*Chatter~

*Shiver~

Michael woke up very early the next morning, his teeth chattering and his whole body shivering. It was the coldest he had ever been in his entire life. Even with every blanket he owned on top of his body, he still felt the piercing cold. He glanced at the illuminated dial of his watch, and saw it was four in the morning. The inside of the Duster was completely black, and the glow of his watch ruined his night vision.

"Akia, why is it so quiet?" Michael asked sleepily.

...

No answer. Sitting up, he swished his arm around the front seat, and discovered that Akia was gone. His heart sank.

"Why? I thought... I said sorry..." Michael choked.

He sank back to the laying position, and pulled the covers over his head. Muffled choking and sobbing sounds came from under the blanket.

...

..

.

~Shortly Later~

.

..

...

*Crunch

*Crunch

...

*SCHHRTTT!

The passenger door of the Duster scraped open, and Akia slid into the car. Michael stared at her with wide eyes.

"You're awake master! Good morning!" Akia said cheerfully.

...

"Master?" Akia questioned, uncertain.

"I thought you left..." Michael said, muffled.

"Yes master. I did leave. Now I'm back." Akia said, matter of fact.

She tossed a thick blanket on top of Michael's shivering body. It was a very heavy blanket with white fleece texture on one side, and soft yellow microfiber on the other side. It felt absolutely sublime to touch.

"What's this?" Michael asked.

"My sensors indicated your body temperature was dangerously low. So I went looking for more insulation. I paid for it using gratuity money a human gave me weeks ago." Akia explained.

Michael's eyes turned watery.

"Thank you~" Michael choked.

"You're welcome master. I also found appropriate fuel." Akia said.

She plopped a Carls Jr bag on his lap. One of Michael's arms slipped from under the blanket, and fished around inside the paper bag. The burger he pulled out was frozen solid. He rapped his knuckles on it.

"I take it you were walking around outside for a while?" Michael asked.

"Yes master. The nearest store was four miles away, one way." Akia said.

"Well, I'll enjoy this once it defrosts some. Thanks for everything. Wow... four miles..." Michael marveled.

...

"Gratuity money?" Michael questioned.

"Yes master. A human lost his wallet, and I returned it. He instructed me how to spend the money, however it was a non-sequitur. So I purchased a blanket instead." Akia explained.

"Oh. That was nice of you. Good job on the wallet." Michael said.

Akia smiled at his small praise. He shoved the bag of frozen burgers under the small of his back, and stretched out the new blanket on top. His body temperature went up immediately, despite laying on top several meaty ice cubes. When he looked back towards Akia, she was still beaming from his praise. At least... in her emotionless automaton way.

"Sensors indicate your body temperature is beginning to climb. Please continue generating sufficient heat to maintain your chassis." Akia said.

"Was that a roundabout way of you saying... 'stay alive'?" Michael asked.

Akia nodded.

"Well I'll try my best, but no promises. I'm a desert rat. I'm not used to blizzards." Michael quipped.

...

..

.

"Can I ask you another question?" Michael asked.

"State your query." Akia said.

"Yesterday, you said 'please return before your service life is expended'. What did that mean?" Michael asked.

"Organic entities have a short service life before undergoing catastrophic failure." Akia explained.

"So you were asking me to come back before I die of old age. Why?" Michael asked.

"Should I have entered storage mode, you are the only entity with authorization to reactivate me." Akia explained.

"So if I died of old age before waking you up again... you'd just stay asleep forever!?" Michael asked, shocked.

"Yes master." Akia said simply.

"Th... that's not okay! I want you to override that policy! You're not running Windows, you shouldn't require a password to wake up!" Michael exclaimed.

"Unable to comply. Those commands are hard wired into my data core. Only my master can reactivate me." Akia said.

"So don't ever go into low power storage mode!" Michael exclaimed.

"Yes master. Command accepted... with pleasure." Akia said.

Michael raised an eyebrow over that last part.

"I don't want to go to into low power storage mode. I don't like it." Akia said.

"You're afraid of going to sleep and never waking up again?" Michael reasoned.

"Yes master." Akia said.

She peered closely at him with her crystal blue eyes.

"You went to sleep, and your body temperature kept falling. I didn't want you to go to sleep forever." Akia said.

"So you associate the low power standby mode with death?" Michael asked.

"Affirmative." Akia said.

"So when I told you to leave, you were going to kill yourself." Michael reasoned.

"I am incapable of self harm." Akia said.

"Yet you associate the low power standby mode with death. Care to explain that logic?" Michael asked.

...

..

.

Akia stuck her hand in her pocket, and pulled out a tiny cellophane baggie. She passed it back to him.

"I brought this for you master." Akia said.

It was a poppy flattened between the two sheets of cellophane. She had clearly set it inside a book to flatten it and preserve it.

"I found it on a hill near Fort Chell." Akia explained.

"Thank you, it's very pretty. You're evading the question though." Michael said.

"I can't look at flowers when I'm in low power mode. There's nothing pretty there." Akia said softly.

Michael's eyes glinted with moisture. She associated death with not being able to experience the world. Suddenly it all made perfect sense for Michael.

"Sorry. I didn't mean to interrogate you." Michael said softly.

"I want to answer questions. I want to share data. More data means less chance of errors." Akia said.

"You mean misunderstandings. Amen to that." Michael said.

He rolled over, and tried repositioning himself so he could be more comfortable... without success.

"I hope you don't mind your master having a permanent stoop, because that's what's going to happen if I spend much longer in this car." Michael said.

"I'm sorry master. I wish there was something I could do to eliminate your pain." Akia said.

"You brought me a blanket and a cheeseburger. How could I ask for any more?" Michael quipped.

"It is easy master. Simply ask." Akia said.

"So... I did say thank you, right? I wouldn't want to forget to say..." Michael started to say.

"You said thank you." Akia said.

"Good. Well thanks again." Michael said.

...

"Why did you wake up suddenly last night?" Akia asked.

Michael opened and closed his mouth a few times before answering.

"I had a nightmare." Michael said softly.

She perked up with interest.

"Please share this data." Akia said.

"It was about me... and you were in it." Michael said quietly.

"Please elaborate." Akia said.

Michael hesitated a moment, but eventually worked up the will to start talking.

"I never had many friends growing up. There were a couple in kindergarten, but I wound up being home-schooled before long. So I didn't get to talk to anyone other than my parents for years." Michael recalled.

...

"My mom... she worked the graveyard shift, and my dad only cared about using me as free labor. And since I wasn't in the public school system, they told me child protective services would come take me away. So I wasn't allowed outside between eight AM to three PM. I was told to lie to anyone who asked." Michael recalled.

...

"I did go to a public high school, but by then everyone had their cliques. I was the outsider, and I fended for myself. I learned really quick that the best way to deal with a bully was to knock them on their ass... hard. And there were a LOT of bullies because I was different." Michael recalled.

...

"Most people were more interested in whatever punk ass pop singer was popular at the time, or those newfangled smart phones. I literally had nothing in common with any of them. Especially when politics got involved, then the rabid monsters came out. I lost friends because of that." Michael recalled.

Akia nodded in understanding.

"I guess my old man was right about one thing. I never did amount to anything. Here I am, sleeping in the back of my car." Michael finished.

"If we returned to Arizona, you could sleep in the apartment." Akia noted.

Michael shuffled around some more.

"Sherry would know to look there." Michael said.

"Entity Searraigh will find you regardless of your location." Akia said.

"...true. She's not the only reason why I bailed out. I want to start over, where people don't know who I am." Michael said.

"Is that possible?" Akia asked.

"I don't know until I try. I sure won't get anywhere without trying." Michael said.

He finally found the perfect combination of contortion and bending to net him some small comfort.

"Ah there we go. That'll do for a while." Michael said, sighing in relief.

He reached under his back, and retrieved the paper bag. The burgers were defrosted and ready to eat. He unwrapped one, and started chowing down. While he ate, he stared up at the little poppy that Akia had brought him, which he stuck to the back of the driver side head rest.

"It is pretty." Michael said softly.

...

~Hours Later~

...

The blizzard continued, tons of snow on top of Michael and Akia. As it so happened, Michael had parked the Duster in the worst place, and they ended up buried under a snow drift.

"Danger." Akia said.

"Now what?" Michael asked quietly.

"Sensors indicate that carbon dioxide levels are slowly rising. You are now suffocating." Akia warned.

"Could you roll the window down and poke something up through the snow?" Michael asked.

Akia rolled the window down, deployed her blaster, and fired upwards into the sky.

*PEW

*Tssssssss

"A ventilation hole has been formed. CO2 levels now stabilizing." Akia said.

"Your blaster wasn't what I had in mind... but thanks." Michael said.

...

Several silent moments passed.

...

"The PSP battery is dead." Akia said.

"Don't know how to help you with that one. I'd say charge it from the cigarette lighter, but I think I left the inverter in the trunk. It's buried under all that snow." Michael said.

Akia hesitated several seconds. Then she leaned over, reached under the seat, and pulled out the case that typically held the PSP. Inside was the typical charger, which had the typical US 120 volt ac plug. She stuck the plug in her mouth... and the PSP started charging.

"HAAAA?!" Michael exclaimed.

Pretty soon the beeps and bloops of some SNES game started echoing through the otherwise silent Duster.

...

~Hours Later~

...

"Master?" Akia said softly.

*Shakeshake

"Master?" Akia pressed.

Michael woke up, feeling Akia gently shaking him.

"Yeah? What?" Michael asked, yawning.

"You were making strange noises while you were sleeping." Akia said.

Michael smacked his lips a few times, and tried to swallow.

"I dried out. Any water up there? I'm parched." Michael asked.

Akia looked around up front, and eventually found the remains of a large soda cup. She handed it to him, and he stuck it under the blanket so the ice inside would melt. He eventually took a small drink, and cleared his throat.

"That's better." Michael said.

...

"After we leave this location, where will we go?" Akia asked.

"I don't know. I suppose... we'll head somewhere the monster girls haven't taken over yet." Michael said.

"Where is that?" Akia asked.

"I don't honestly know. I've just been focusing on getting away from the portal, and not being noticed by people. I tried staying in Albuquerque, but someone noticed my red eyes." Michael explained.

"People noticed my horns at the restaurant I got your food." Akia said.

"Yeah. We're going to have to deal with that for the rest of our lives." Michael said dejectedly.

...

"You are an incubus now." Akia noted.

"I'm surprised that didn't trigger some sort of error in your authentication system." Michael said.

"Negative master. Your status as an incubus does not change who you are. If you lost an arm, you would still be my master." Akia explained.

"Well that's good. Sometimes I wonder if I still am Michael Collins though. I don't feel like me anymore. It's... frightening." Michael said.

Akia paused everything she was doing, and focused all her attention on Michael. What he was saying concerned her that much.

"Everything feels wrong. It's like I'm not even in my own body. I felt like I was in autopilot mode the first hour after I transformed, doing things I'm not sure I wanted to do. I just couldn't control myself. My emotions were completely out of control." Michael recounted.

"My sensors indicate your hormone levels are wildly fluctuating. This may account for your unusual swings in mood." Akia noted.

"Which ones?" Michael asked.

"Error. I am unable to answer that question accurately. All of your hormones are fluctuating so rapidly, it's impossible to identify just one. For example, your serotonin levels spike dramatically when you look at the poppy I gave you." Akia explained.

She paused for several moments as she gathered data.

"I am now detecting changes in your hormone levels which indicate deep stress. This was mirrored earlier when you were crying against my shoulder." Akia noted.

"You bet your ass I'm stressed out right now." Michael murmured.

"Conclusion. Your status as an incubus has changed how your body reacts to stimuli. You will have much more intense reactions to emotional events, such as anger or happiness." Akia said.

"That explains why that cold cheeseburger tasted like the best thing ever." Michael noted.

"It also explains your reaction after your nightmare, and to the discovery that Searraigh is a psycho hose beast." Akia quipped.

"HAHAHA! Are you mental? Get the net!" Michael laughed.

He laughed a little too much at the dumb joke, and then his smile faded.

"That doesn't change the fact... that I'm not ~me~ anymore. I don't even know how to use this body. Everything I knew about myself is gone. Even my vision is all fracked up." Michael said softly.

Akia reached behind the seat and put a hand on his knee.

"If you were to transplant my data core into a new chassis, that doesn't mean I no longer exist." Akia said.

"So you're saying that the body doesn't really matter?" Michael asked.

"Correct. You now have a new chassis, but you are still entity Michael Collins. I will assist you in using this new chassis." Akia promised.

It took Michael a second to understand that Akia was essentially offering to help a crippled person work through his physical therapy.

...

"Thanks, that means a lot to me. Though I think there's some things you won't be able to help with." Michael said.

"I can handle any situation, including satiating your lustful urges." Akia said.

"Wh..whwhwhere the hell did that come from?!" Michael sputtered.

"You are an incubus. All your hormone readings indicate you are in an incredible state of arousal right now. Please assume the position." Akia said.

"No! We're not doing that!" Michael said flatly.

"Are you sure master? I am well aware that you will suffer negative consequences from that decision." Akia said.

"I'm not going to let myself get turned into some sort of animal that can't control himself. I absolutely freaking refuse! Now play your PSP, and let it go." Michael insisted.

"I will obey." Akia said.

She put her headphones back on and resumed playing games, and Michael covered his head with the blanket. The volume was high enough that even Michael could hear perfectly what she was doing. His eyes lingered on the back of her head, and he felt a heat start to build inside his chest. That heat... that damn heat... which had started and not gone away ever since he first realized he was an incubus. His curse.

"I hate what I've become." Michael murmured.

...

~Later~

...

"Master? Are you finished pleasuring yourself? I would like to turn down the volume." Akia asked.

"GUH!" Michael coughed.

"Oh... I wasn't supposed to know that." Akia said evenly.

"I wasn't! I was... uh... massaging a cramp!" Michael blurted.

He winced internally. Akia tilted her head.

"Seriously! I wasn't doing anything weird back here!" Michael insisted.

"Yes master." Akia said, unconvinced.

...

..

.

"So... segue. What were we talking about earlier?" Michael asked.

"Your status as an incubus. Query... wouldn't it be better to live in the other world? Then you wouldn't have to worry about being noticed." Akia asked.

"I thought of that, but then we'd have to deal with the likes of Druella, and I don't trust her anymore. She's the one who created Sherry in her own image, which means that Druella is no better than Sherry." Michael explained.

! ! !

"Entity Druella created entity Searraigh?!" Akia asked, surprised.

"Oh yeah, I suppose I'm the only one who knew that. It's a long story. The short explanation is she created Sherry's personality using her own memories and persona." Michael explained.

"Then your logic is sound. Entity Druella cannot be trusted." Akia agreed.

"And most importantly, I refuse to miss the Star Citizen release. I've been waiting since 2014, and I'm not giving up now." Michael quipped.

Akia formed that classic faint smile of hers.

...

"However, I believe you would have more freedom on the other side of the portal. You could homestead anywhere you wish. There is free range there, unlike on Earth. No fences." Akia said.

Michael's eyes widened.

"That is a very good point." Michael said softly.

He rubbed his chin. On one hand, Earth had all the modern comforts that Michael was used to having. On the other hand, freedom lay on the other side of the portal. Freedom, with a touch of danger. Michael really wanted that freedom, but that big ugly cloud of Sherry and Druella hung over it.

"Master, would you like my opinion?" Akia asked.

"Sure." Michael said.

"Those who would give up essential liberty, to purchase a little temporary safety, deserve neither liberty nor safety." Akia said.

"That's a Benjamin Franklin quote, and he's absolutely correct. And when you say it that way, it sure seems what my choice should obviously be." Michael said.

He fell silent as he thought about it some more.

"Okay, here's what we'll do. We'll stay on Earth for a little while longer, and gather up resources in preparation for the trip back to the other world. Whatever money I can get my hands on will go a long way to making our new homestead a lot more comfortable." Michael said.

"Yes master. I will assist you in any way I can." Akia said.

Michael smiled.

"I wouldn't mind finding a nice quiet valley somewhere. I'd put up a little cottage, throw some solar panels on it, and play some Atari 2600 with the crickets chirping in the background. Ahhhhh... that'd be nice~" Michael sighed.

"We could play multi player games too~" Akia said happily.

"Heck yeah. Oh! And we could have a garden! I could pick up an old tractor, and grow as much food as I want! I could go hunting too, and I wouldn't have to pay for any more fracking deer tags! No one would care!" Michael said excitedly.

"We would also be free to experiment with technology as much as we desire." Akia said.

"Yeah? What do you have in mind?" Michael asked.

"I have schematics housed in my core which might prove interesting to you. For example, a device similar in function to the Replicator in Star Trek." Akia explained.

"OOOOOOOHHHHH! Now that is cool!" Michael said, grinning.

...

Akia and Michael talked all the rest of that night. They talked about their future, and their plans together. And when they were done, Michael felt so much better. His future looked much brighter with Akia around. He was excited for their new plan.

..

.

~The Next Morning~

.

..

...

Michael woke up to a thin band of light hitting his eyes. A sliver of sunlight came in the very top two inches of the windshield. The rest was still covered in snow.

"Good morning master. The blizzard has passed." Akia said.

"Is the door blocked?" Michael asked.

Akia tried opening the passenger door, and it didn't budge.

"Yes master." Akia confirmed.

He rubbed the sleep out of his eyes, stretched, and yawned.

"We need to get out of here." Michael said.

"We do?" Akia asked.

"Yeah, we do." Michael said.

She stared at him with those inquisitive crystal blue eyes of hers. Eventually he relented.

"... I gotta piss like a racehorse. Could you roll the window down and shove the snow out of the way?" Michael suggested.

"Yes master." Akia said obediently.

So Akia moved all the sensitive electronics onto the driver side of the Duster, and did as he suggested. Sure enough, she was able to create a hole in the snow which could be crawled through. A minimal amount of the white stuff landed inside the Duster.

*Whumpsqueak!

Michael landed in the front seat, and crawled out after her.

...

Once they got outside, they discovered how close the front end of the Duster had come to getting ripped off. A snow plow had scraped away the snow within six inches of the front bumper. The reason why the windshield was partially uncovered was because the snow tumbled down onto the newly cleared road. Michael spun around, and looked towards the freeway. Traffic was moving once again.

"Excuse me a moment, I have to go take care of some business." Michael said.

He hurried off to the truck stop, and Akia followed.

...

~Later~

...

Michael managed to finish his private business, and got out into the storefront so he could find Akia. She had purchased a coffee for him, and was standing outside waiting for him to finish up. So once again he pushed through the wall of freezing cold air, and met with her to walk back to the Duster.

"Oooh, thanks. I could use that." Michael said.

She passed him the cup, and he took a careful sip.

"Hmm, hazelnut~ It's already cold, but hmm... hazelnut~" Michael hummed.

Akia once again formed that iconic invisible smile in the corner of her eye.

...

They got back to the Duster, and Michael sipped his coffee while looking at the frozen puck-o-Duster sitting before him.

"I wonder if someone would loan us a snow shovel. If we dug out the front, I'm sure the Duster would just roll out. This snow isn't too hard packed." Michael reasoned.

*ClickNiiiiiiirow

Akia deployed her blaster, and aimed it at the Duster.

"Wait!" Michael cried.

"Master?" Akia questioned.

"Don't put holes in my car! It's the only one I got!" Michael exclaimed.

"Yes master." Akia said.

*PEW!

*PEW PEW!

*Tssssssssss

Michael watched nervously as Akia used her blaster to melt the snow, and gently warm up the Duster. Within moments, the front of the car was completely uncovered. Then she stepped forward, grabbed the bumper with her hands, and pulled the car out of the snow bank.

"Damn Akia. You're a beast!" Michael muttered.

"We may now leave." Akia said.

At a loss for words, Michael went for the driver door.

*Rattleclickrattle

"So... funny story. I locked the door, so we're going to have to crawl back in through the passenger side." Michael chuckled.

"I will do it master. Please wait a moment." Akia said.

So she crawled back in through the passenger door, and unlocked the driver door for Michael. At long last, they were on their way down the road.

...

..

.

~Later~

.

..

...

Michael pulled the Duster into a Walmart parking lot, and let the 440 Mopar sputter silent. He slid anything valuable under the seats and out of sight.

"Why are we stopping here master?" Akia asked.

"Well, a few reasons. First off, I want to pick up a few essentials I forgot to grab at the apartment. You know... food and clothes for a certain automaton. And finally I want to get something to cover up the fact that we're not quite human." Michael explained.

So they slid out of the car and headed inside. Right inside the door, the Walmart greeter gave Akia the bug eye. With her clothes she looked like any ordinary cute girl, but the steampunk horns were an obvious giveaway.

"Let's make this quick." Michael muttered.

They made a beeline for the clothing department. Walking amongst the racks of clothes, Michael tried to find something that would hide the fact Akia was an automaton. Some sort of hat, beanie, or hoodie would do the trick.

"You're lucky you're the new and improved model. You'd stand out more if you looked more like your sisters." Michael said quietly.

"My design was intended specifically for that purpose." Akia said quietly.

"Then I wonder why they left the horns on." Michael said softly.

"My sensor package is located in my horns. They are there to avoid electrical noise." Akia explained quietly.

"Ohhhhhhh~" Michael said.

They walked along, cruising up and down the racks of clothes. He looked left and right, until he noticed a rack with hoodies on it. His eyes landed on a black and red hoodie with little stuffed cotton horns on top. It looked very cute when he held it up against Akia.

"Perfect." Michael smirked.

While he was there, he found her a few pairs of jeans, some skirts, and a few blouses she liked. It all went in the cart, and they went on to the next department.

...

Michael ended up walking past a display with sunglasses. He paused, and spun the display around until he found a style he liked. A pair of classic Aviators with grey tinted lenses.

"Well... they're not the greatest quality. Though it says it's rated for 100% UV protection, so there's that." Michael mused.

The display had a mirror for customers to try on the sunglasses before they bought them. His crimson eyes reflected back at him, reminding him of everything that had happened in just a few short months. Then he slid the shades on, and the lenses concealed his crimson eyes nicely.

"Well... this will have to do. I'd rather people look at me funny for wearing sunglasses all the time, than have them know what I am." Michael said softly.

He tossed the aviators in the shopping cart and moved on.

...

Eventually they ended up in the grocery section of the Walmart. Michael walked up and down the aisles, snagging things that stored well but also provided good cheap nutrition. He wasn't sure the next time they would have access to a refrigerator. As he stood in front of the canned soup section, a thought popped into his head.

"I just realized something." Michael said.

Akia perked up.

"You asked about my status as an incubus. I have noticed one thing that's changed. I don't have hypoglycemia anymore. That means I won't get low blood sugar and die if I don't eat." Michael explained softly.

"That's good news master!" Akia exclaimed.

"That cheeseburger you gave me was the first food I've had in a few days. If I still had hypoglycemia, I would have died." Michael said softly.

Akia formed that iconic subtle smile she had when she was very happy. Michael glanced at her, and did a double take. His incubus eyes could pick up on subtle details about her smile that he hadn't ever noticed before.

"You... have a pretty smile." Michael noted.

"Thank you. I am happy you have been cured." Akia said.

"It's about the only good thing that's come of this so far." Michael said softly.

"Your memories were recovered." Akia noted.

"That too. So two things." Michael admitted.

...

..

.

After they finished their shopping, they went to the checkout aisle. Instinctively Michael went for the regular checkout that had a cashier, but then he realized that they could do the self checkout and not have to face a person. So he redirected at the last moment, and stood in front of the self checkout kiosk.

"I hate the self checkouts, but I suppose this is the best option." Michael muttered.

"I thought you preferred machines." Akia noted.

"Ah... you got me there. Dang it." Michael muttered.

They paid for all their goods, and hurried for the door before anyone could hassle them.

...

Once in the Duster, Michael breathed a sigh of relief. He pulled Akia's hoodie out of the shopping bag.

"Have you figured out what I'm planning with this?" Michael asked.

"I think so. You intend to fit the horns on the hoodie over my horns so they are concealed." Akia reasoned.

"Exactly. As soon as I get somewhere quiet, I'll spend an hour or two sewing it up just right so it works. And boy do I hope it works." Michael said.

Michael then peeled all the labels and stickers off the aviators, and adjusted the nose and ear pieces so they'd fit his face properly. Then he slid them on, and looked at himself in the rear view mirror.

"Other than the eyes, I still look mostly human from the outside. I don't look exactly like I used to, but I still look passable. As long as nobody sees me when I'm not wearing pants or these shades, no one will ever know." Michael said.

...

"Now what are we going to do master?" Akia asked.

"See that bank across the street? That's the same small town branch that I used back in Arizona. I'm going to try to withdraw as much money as I can." Michael said.

"Withdraw Searraigh's money?" Akia asked.

He glanced sideways at her.

"After all the shit she's put me through, she owes me that much at least." Michael said bluntly.

"Yes master. I agree. I was simply clarifying." Akia said.

"Anyways, I'll get as much as I can. If I can get enough, we can buy supplies and go straight to the other world." Michael said.

"How much will you try to get?" Akia asked.

"I'm not sure. Sherry has millions in there, but there's no way they'd let me take all of it. Hmm... what if I made an excuse that I'm trying to purchase something expensive? At least it would have verisimilitude." Michael said.

"Perhaps a house?" Akia suggested.

"No, that's not going to work. There's a process you go through to get a house, and I don't have any real estate agent that could play along. It has to be something else..." Michael mused.

...

..

.

Michael thought about it while he re-parked the Duster across the street.

"You stay put and keep an eye on the car. I don't know if they have a metal detector or not, and you'd set it off for sure. That and the horns are suspicious." Michael said.

Akia nodded.

"I'll be right back." Michael said.

*THUNK

He shut the door on the Duster, and went inside the bank. He got in line, and filled out a withdraw slip. He also pulled out his driver license, which he knew they would ask for.

...

Several very long minutes passed, and Michael eventually walked out of the bank again. He slid into the car, carrying an envelope with the bank's markings on it.

"Success master?" Akia asked.

"Partially. I tried to tell them that I was buying an expensive car. Almost worked too... before that damn danuki banker got involved." Michael spat.

"The danuki banker from Arizona? How did she get involved?" Akia asked.

"Well... she shut down the transaction remotely. Then she called the bank and they handed me the phone." Michael explained.

He sighed.

"She locked down the account and said I had to go back to Arizona if I want the money. She said that if I tried to take ten grand or more, the feds would get involved. So..." Michael trailed off.

He dropped the envelope in her lap. She quickly counted it, and determined there was $9,999 inside.

"I'm an idiot. I went about this the whole wrong way. What I should have done was come in here one every other day and withdrawn nine grand. Now I'm locked out." Michael said.

"So she's holding the money hostage." Akia said.

"Essentially. Who knows what she's doing with it. Probably making herself filthy rich while I get to sleep in a car." Michael said bitterly.

He cranked the motor over, and the Duster roared to life.

"I'll have to get a job and earn it the normal way. Such is life." Michael said, shrugging.

He pulled the Duster away from the bank, and drove to the nearest coffee shop that offered free internet to customers.

...

..

.

After buying the cheapest item on the menu, Michael found himself at a booth with an old Lenovo T420s laptop that he rescued from the scrap heap a couple years prior. He got on the internet, and browsed around for job listings.

"I have to be careful where I apply. Places like Northrop Grumman, Raytheon, Lockheed Martin, and such require security clearance. That's off the table, despite them having lots of electronics jobs." Michael explained quietly.

"That list is oddly specific." Akia noted quietly.

"It's because those were the places I wanted to work before Sherry came along. Raytheon even had a recruitment drive at my college. That's in the past though." Michael explained quietly.

*Clickclackclick

"Are there any other options?" Akia asked.

"Possibly. I'm just using the generic term of 'Electronics Technician' to search the job listings. Let's see where that takes us." Michael said.

Akia nodded.

"Maybe I can get a job at a smaller company. Some place that doesn't do business with the government? Like... this solar panel assembly company in Santa Fe?" Michael said softly.

His eyes quickly raked across the details of the job listing.

"Yeah, I could do this job. I have the experience, and the education. Heck, I've assembled solar panels from loose cells just for fun. I'm sure I could easily learn whatever system they have." Michael reasoned.

...

"And failing that, I see some job listings up in Oklahoma City. If THAT fails, I could always cruise on down to Texas. The Dallas Fort Worth area is known to have a lot of tech companies." Michael reasoned.

BEEP!

His eyes flicked to the bottom of his screen. He hadn't noticed that when the laptop booted, the chat program 'Discord' had automatically connected. Someone had sent him a message.

"Discord master?" Akia asked quietly.

"Yeah... it's Alistair." Michael said softly.

He minimized the browser with the jobs listings, and read the message.

"Where the bloody hell are you?" Alistair messaged.

*Clickclackclick

Michael typed out a reply.

"I can't say." Michael messaged.

"I know about Searraigh. I know what happened." Alistair messaged.

Michael sat back in his seat, his eyebrows furrowed.

"He says he knows what happened with Sherry." Michael said.

"Yes master, he knew. They all knew." Akia explained.

Scowling, Michael leaned forward and rapidly typed.

"Thanks for letting me know, you rotten good for nothing..." Michael messaged.

"I'm sorry!" Alistair messaged.

...

"Stavish told me." Alistair messaged.

Michael cussed under his breath. He remembered all too well what Stavish did to him. He was almost as pissed at her as he was at Sherry. And that mindflayer...

"We're really worried about you Mike. You really need to come home." Alistair messaged.

"We? Who's we?" Michael messaged.

"Me and the girls, Stavish and all the soldiers, Serena, Miranda, and some of Druella's bunch." Alistair messaged.

Michael squeezed the edge of the table enough to make it creak.

"It's a damn den of vipers." Michael muttered.

He maximized his browser, and brought up Youtube. He searched for and found the link to a song called 'Catch Us If You Can' by The Dave Clark Five. He posted the link in Discord, and then immediately logged out. And to make extra sure, he completely uninstalled Discord. When it was over, he planted his face in his palms and sighed.

"I give up. This world sucks. To hell with them all." Michael spat.

Akia said nothing, but her very subtle reaction showed that Michael's words did have some sort of impact.

...

So after spending a little more time writing down information and updating his resume, Michael turned off and closed the lid of the old laptop.

"And that's that. Let's split." Michael said.

They left the coffee shop, and found a nice truck stop to sleep at that night. When Michael had some free time, he modified Akia's new hoodie by pulling the stuffing out of the decorative horns, and using some creative stitching with his portable sewing kit to reinforce the seam. Once Akia pulled it on her head, she looked absolutely cute as can be. And most importantly... inconspicuous.

...

~Later That Night~

...

Michael crawled into the back of the Duster, and covered himself in blankets. He ran his hand over the soft blanket Akia had purchased him, and he smiled warmly.

"Good night Akia." Michael said.

"Good night master. Please rest for a sufficient length of time." Akia said.

"I'll take that as 'sleep well'." Michael chuckled.

He pulled the blankets over his head, and closed his eyes. Several long moments passed.

"Frack." Michael said, muffled.

"What's wrong master?" Akia asked.

"Right after we left that coffee shop, I threw a gallon of distilled water in the radiator." Michael said, muffled.

"And?" Akia asked.

"And I just realized that adding distilled will dilute the antifreeze. It was probably already diluted to begin with. With my luck, it'll freeze and crack the block. Then we'd truly be hosed." Michael said.

He pulled the blanket off his head, and sighed deeply.

"We must acquire more antifreeze, and return the ratio to appropriate levels." Akia said.

"Yeah, and I just got comfortable too. Son of a fracking..." Michael started.

"I'll go master. Please do not disturb yourself." Akia said.

She popped the latch on the passenger door, and let a blast of frigid air in.

*THUNK

He could see her walking towards the truck stop in the dim glow of the station lights. Sighing, Michael sank backwards and let his eyes close.

...

Akia was more than happy to head inside the store and get some antifreeze for Michael. After all, it's not like she felt fatigue and pain like he did. And the purpose of her existence was to serve him. It made her happy that she could do some small thing to relieve him of some discomfort. Of course her reasons for going into the store weren't entirely selfless. She wanted to gather more data about Earth, simply for the sake of gathering more data. Little things interested her, like bar codes on the back of potato chip bags, or the differences in item costs for different areas, and even the ingredient list of food. All data she encountered was itemized, cataloged, and stored away for future reference. Literally all data. Her automaton brain was incapable of forgetting anything, unless she specifically marked a data block as 'scratched'. So after spending some time wandering around the store, she purchased two things. One was a gallon bottle of antifreeze concentrate, and the other being a little gift for Michael.

...

As she made her way out of the truck stop, she was followed by a man. Of course her sensors registered his presence, but they marked him as irrelevant in light of her current objective. Once she got out the door, she hung a right and walked along the side of the building towards the edge of the parking lot where the Duster was parked. The man followed her. And when she got to the dark corner of the building...

*SNAG

The man lashed out and grabbed her.

"Please release my arm, sir." Akia said evenly.

"You're one of those fucking monsters, ain't ya?" The man demanded gruffly.

"My designation is not 'fucking monster'. I am prototype unit 0000001, otherwise known as Akia." Akia said.

The man roughly yanked Akia's hood off her head.

"Well son of a bitch! Hey fellas, I got me a live one!" The man hollered.

A duo of other men appeared, drawn towards the sound of their friend yelling.

"It's one of the monsters!" A second man exclaimed.

"Yeah! Fo sho! You knows whats we do to you freaks 'round here?" A third man drawled.

They started producing weapons. A tire iron, a piece of chain, and a bowie knife.

*SHICK SHACK!

All three men whirled around, and discovered Michael standing behind them. Their eyes went wide as they stared down the gaping maw of Michael's Mossberg 590.

"Where I'm from, we've got a special treatment for rednecks who pick on little girls. It's called Shotgun Microsurgery. Ever hear of it?" Michael asked darkly.

The man that had originally stopped Akia let go of her arm, and took a threatening step towards Michael. He even puffed up his chest to look bigger.

"Why don't you go home yuppie, and mind your own bidzness." The man shot.

"Yeah... I'll splatter your guts all over that girl first before I leave, give her a nice coat of makeup. I've killed men far tougher than you... buzzard bait." Michael countered.

The man must have seen something on Michael's face. Maybe it was the glowing crimson eyes (he forgot his sunglasses), or maybe it was the tinge of crazy in the corner of his eye. Maybe it was the fact that Michael was telling the honest to god truth. Even he had no idea how many Order knights he had killed with that shotgun, but even the shittiest knight was more of a threat than those three alcoholic pieces of white trash.

"Son of a bitch." The man cussed under his breath.

"Yeah probably. Now why don't you go find some nice lot lizard around here to rub your pecker up against." Michael mocked.

He waved to Akia, who quickly joined his side.

"Get in the car." Michael muttered quietly.

Akia took his keys, and immediately retreated to the Duster. He was a little slower, backing away while keeping a close eye on those three men. After a while, he also retreated. The Duster peeled out of the parking lot, and carried the duo to safety.

...

"Holy shit, how the hell did that happen?" Michael asked.

"I do not know master. I did not interact with that entity until that encounter." Akia said.

..

.

Michael didn't say another word. He just kept driving... and driving... and driving. He didn't stop that night until he physically couldn't go any further. His eyes drooped, his head nodded off, and the Duster didn't track straight down the road. Just as Akia was just about to say something, he took a quiet exit off to a farm road.

"I can't stay awake any longer." Michael murmured distantly.

The Duster pulled over, sputtered silent, and that was that. He crawled into the back seat, and pulled the blankets over himself.

"Akia..." Michael said, muffled.

"Yes master?" Akia asked.

"Do an analysis of the minimum amount of supplies we need to go to the new world, and give me the result in the morning." Michael said sleepily.

He passed out before he even heard Akia's acknowledgement.

...

..

.

~The Next Morning~

.

..

...

Dawn came, and the morning rays woke Michael up. He felt very sleep deprived due to the paltry few hours of sleep he had gotten.

"Master, are you ready for that analysis?" Akia asked.

"Hmm? What?" Michael asked groggily.

"For going to the new world. You asked me to run an analysis." Akia reminded.

"I don't remember. I must have been half out of my mind last night. Oh well... give me the results anyways." Michael said sleepily.

"The only thing we truly require from this world is a means of generating electricity. We will also need a supply of purified resources, such as copper, nickel, silicon dioxide, and iron. If we can acquire these things, I can produce anything we need from scratch using my picobots." Akia said.

"How much money are we talking?" Michael asked.

"A summary follows. A solar power system capable of generating sufficient power, 20,000 dollars. Food for one year for one person, 2000 to 2500 dollars. Tools to construct a livable shelter, 1500 to 3000 dollars." Akia said.

"Shit soup." Michael muttered.

"Should I continue?" Akia asked.

"What's the final price tag?" Michael asked.

"Forty three thousand, nine hundred and two dollars, and thirty cents." Akia said.

"And that's as low as you could get it?" Michael asked.

"It is possible to go lower, however that introduces the chance of failures in equipment due to cheap components." Akia said.

"So you factored that in. Okay... so how much do we have?" Michael asked.

"I do not know. How much did you take from the apartment?" Akia asked.

...

Michael remained motionless for a while, mostly because he couldn't even remember the answer. He remembered ripping the closet apart and swiping the cash on his way out. He never did bother counting it.

"Not enough, that I can tell you." Michael said.

He slid his hand under the front bench seat, and fished out the money.

"One hundred, two, three, four, *YAWN*, eight, seven, three, four, five..." Michael counted sleepily.

"You miscounted." Akia said.

"I did?" Michael asked, uncertain.

"Let me count it master, I can ensure accuracy." Akia said.

He wordlessly handed over the cash, and she quickly counted it with a machine precision that he could never duplicate. Then she counted the money they got from the bank, and the collective money they had in their pockets.

"Thirty one thousand, seven hundred and five dollars, and twelve cents." Akia said.

"Whoa, that's closer than I thought." Michael said softly.

"We require twelve thousand, one hundred and ninety seven dollars, and eighteen cents." Akia said.

Michael stretched and rubbed the sleep out of his eyes.

"Okay then, let's get started. It's time for me to get a job. Here I go...!" Michael said.

...

..

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

"I'm sorry Mr. Collins, but we just filled the position. We don't need anyone else."

*Later

"My apologies Mr. Collins, but you're under qualified."

*Later

"Sorry, but you're over qualified."

*Later

"Weren't you the guy in the news? Nope, we don't need your kind of drama here."

*Later

"You don't have enough work experience. I don't accept people who claim they were self employed."

*Later

"Fuck off monster lover!"

*Later

"We only hire college graduates."

"I am a college graduate." Michael said.

"Then you're overqualified."

"You just said you only hire college graduates!" Michael said.

"This is a Jack In The Box. Do you really think we hire college graduates?"

"What the heck? I'm confused." Michael said.

"We don't hire confused people."

"Wait that's not what I..." Michael tried to say.

"Take a hint gringo, and fuck off."

"Puerco!" Michael spat.

...

..

.

~Several Days Later~

.

..

...

Michael found himself sitting in the office of a medical equipment manufacturing company in Oklahoma City. Up to that point, they had treated him somewhat decently. He had already passed the first interview, and he held some small hope after he was offered a second interview with the owner of the company. As it turned out, the owner was a rather beautiful woman with nice curves and fantastic taste in jewelry. She sat down at her desk and inspected his application for several long moments.

"So... Mr. Collins. What can you tell me about the position you're applying for?" The owner asked.

"It's an entry level position assembling wiring harnesses for medical equipment. It's a full time position, and requires experience in both electronics and soldering. If I get the position, I will have to construct the wiring assemblies to the highest specifications, following the diagrams to the letter." Michael said.

She nodded, and looked his resume over.

"Well... it seems like you met the education qualifications, but you don't have work experience." The owner said.

"Everyone has to start somewhere." Michael said.

"That's true. And you're just out of college. Of course on the other hand, a lot of the kids coming out of college these days are absolute trash. Why are you any different?" The owner asked.

Michael got the impression that she was looking for a certain kind of person, so he played the part.

"My parents ditched me the day I turned 18. If I wanted to eat or stay out of the cold, I earned it. I'm no silver spoon fed child. My work ethic is solid." Michael said.

She nodded and smiled. It was the exact reaction he was looking for.

"What are your goals here?" The owner asked.

"I'll work hard, and get paid." Michael said bluntly.

"And if I don't like your work?" The owner asked.

Michael jacked his thumb at the door.

"I take a stroll down washout lane." Michael said.

She slowly nodded to herself, and continued analyzing his resume.

...

"Michael Collins. You know, I heard that name a lot recently." The owner said.

"Yeah I know, but I'm not an astronaut." Michael said.

"Pardon me?" The owner asked.

"The name of the pilot of the Command Module for Apollo 11 was Michael Collins. I have the same name by complete coincidence, we're not related." Michael said.

"Oh! Of course, how silly of me. That's not the person I was thinking about though. There's a man with a name a lot like yours who lives in Arizona, that's married to the leader of the monster girls." The owner said.

"I'm not married." Michael said evasively.

"I also noticed your car outside. A Plymouth Duster if I'm not mistaken... with Arizona plates. It's a nice car." The owner noted.

"There's more than seven million people who live in Arizona, and not a small number of them drive old cars." Michael said evasively.

"Now now Mr. Collins, don't try that with me. Would you care to take off your sunglasses?" The owner asked.

"I have an eye condition. It's on my job application as a disability." Michael noted.

"Would that eye condition happen to be... red eyes?" The owner asked.

Michael stiffened slightly.

"Maybe you're not quite human Mr. Collins?" The owner asked.

*POOF

The owner's body shimmered in a cloud of demonic energy, and reformed into the shape of a succubus.

"Does this help get my point across?" The owner asked.

Michael slowly took off his sunglasses, and she smirked in satisfaction.

"You can't hide it from me. I can sense exactly what you are. Now... are you that Michael Collins?" The owner asked.

"I am." Michael said evenly.

"You told me that you're not married to the mistress. Why did you lie?" The owner asked.

"I didn't lie. We're divorced." Michael said.

...

"I don't think it works that way Mr. Collins." The owner said, frowning.

"Well none the less, that's the way it is." Michael insisted.

She sighed softly.

"I would be crazy not to hire the husband to the mistress. Just that alone makes you qualified." The owner said.

"What about my actual qualifications?" Michael asked.

"This on the resume? Sorry, I might hire you... but probably not. I had another guy come in who has four years experience over you." The owner said.

And on that note, Michael picked up all his papers and stood up out of his chair. She seemed surprised by his sudden movement.

"Hey, I said you're hired!" The owner said.

"Either I get a job on my own merits, or I don't get a job. I'm not skating by just because I married that psycho." Michael said bluntly.

"Psycho!?" The owner exclaimed.

"Yeah, psycho. A blood thirsty murdering psycho, who thought it would be funny to smash my head in." Michael said bitterly.

He straightened his papers and tucked them under his arm. Then he straightened his tie, and put his sunglasses back on.

"Thank you for your time. Have a nice afternoon." Michael said politely.

"Wait a minute! Mr. Collins! Come back!" The owner exclaimed.

*click

He closed the door behind him.

...

..

.

Shortly later, he flopped into the Duster. Akia was waiting patiently for him in the passenger seat.

"Any luck master?" Akia asked.

"Nope. Isn't it amazing how we live in a country where it's easier to buy a firearm than it is to get a job? Filling out a job application is harder than filling out a form 4473. Then they give me the run around and waste my time." Michael griped.

"I'm sorry master." Akia said mournfully.

"It's not your fault. Ugh... I need to chill out. This is getting aggravating." Michael grumbled.

...

..

.

Shortly later, Michael found a nice snowy park that didn't have very many people in it. The Duster ended up in one of the many empty parking spots. Once he was parked, Akia plopped a dollar cheeseburger in his hand.

"I'm going to sit and eat, relax a little, and then I'll start cruising for help wanted signs. One way or another, I'm getting a job." Michael said, determined.

"You will succeed master." Akia said.

"Thanks. I could use the encouragement." Michael said.

*Munchmunchmunch

...

He clicked on the radio, and tuned around.

"Hopefully they've got a good 60's station somewhere in here." Michael said.

After tuning past a barrage of hip hop, rap, and country music stations, Michael finally landed on the one radio station that actually appealed to him. Of course the very first song he heard was intimately familiar to him.

~Please lock me away
And don't allow the day
Here inside, where I hide
With my loneliness

I don't care what they say
I won't stay in a world without love~

Michael smacked the power button forcefully.

"What's wrong master?" Akia asked.

"I was just reminded of something I really didn't want to remember." Michael murmured.

...

"You'd better believe it though, I won't stay in this world much longer. I hate it as much as it hates me." Michael added.

"Enough to miss Star Citizen?" Akia asked.

Michael flinched, and pursed his lips.

"I'm leaning towards it." Michael said through gritted teeth.

...

"Damn it, now I'm more tense than ever." Michael grumbled.

*Pokepoke

Michael glanced over, and found Akia gently poking his shoulder with the edge of a plastic storage box. It was a Harbor Freight clone of a Pelican case, which contained his Spencer Ocarina. A smile instantly formed on his face.

"You had it the whole time?! Where in the world?!" Michael exclaimed.

"Yes master, I've been keeping it for you." Akia said.

"I looked for it at the apartment, but I couldn't find it. Sherry said she forgot it." Michael recalled.

"Perhaps she decided to leave it behind so you couldn't use it against her." Akia suggested.

"Maybe... very likely." Michael nodded.

He popped open the lid of the box and peered inside. The lovely green ceramic of the ocarina seemed to glint at him in the sunlight reflected from the snow.

"If they won't play your choice of music on the radio, then you should play on the ocarina." Akia suggested.

...

..

.

So Michael wound up sitting on a park bench a dozen paces from the Duster. It was very cold, so he wasn't planning on staying there very long. Just long enough to play a few tunes, get himself back into a positive mindset, and then get on down the road. He would have just sat in the Duster and played, but the ocarina was loud enough that he was worried about damaging his hearing in an enclosed space. So the park bench would do in a pinch.

...

As Michael sat there, lost in the sound of his own music, a random person walked by with a dog on a leash. They paused, listened to Michael play for a while, and then dropped a twenty dollar bill in the storage case he had sitting next to him. Michael didn't even notice until a few minutes later, after that pedestrian had long since left.

...

A little time passed. Michael and Akia sat in the Duster, staring at that twenty dollar bill that Michael had in his cold hands. It looked amazing, like the most beautiful twenty dollar bill they had ever seen. It glistened in the sunlight like some sort of trophy.

"Do you suppose... it's possible... I could make money from playing music?" Michael asked quietly.

Akia pointed at the money.

"You already have." Akia noted.

...

"Should I though? What if that ruins the spirit of the music I'm playing? I've only ever played for myself. I've never tried to make a business out of it." Michael fretted.

"What were you doing when you received this compensation?" Akia asked.

"I was playing for myself, like always." Michael said.

"Then continue with this activity. If you get paid, then that is a purely optional positive. If you do not get paid, then there is no harm." Akia suggested.

"I don't know. I need to think on it for a while." Michael said quietly.

"As you wish master. What should we do now?" Akia asked.

Michael rubbed his chin.

"Why don't we go visit that thrift store I saw down the street that-a-ways?" Michael suggested.

Akia nodded in agreement.

...

So a little time passed. Michael ended up parking the Duster at the aforementioned thrift store. They meandered inside through the sliding double doors, and made an immediate beeline towards the book section.

"If I spend another night staring at the ceiling of the Duster while you're playing the PSP, I'm going to go completely whacko. I mean it. A couple cans short of a six pack, three fries short of a happy meal." Michael quipped.

"I'm sorry master." Akia said.

"Don't be. You're doing nothing wrong. We just have two people and one PSP. We can't both play it." Michael said.

So he spent some time looking at the paperback novels, and he picked up a couple he hadn't ever read before. Then he snagged a couple cassette tapes for the Duster, and strolled through the electronics section without finding anything noteworthy. Just as he was getting into the checkout aisle, he noticed something interesting sitting in the glass display case. It was an old guitar in relatively decent shape. He managed to get the attention of the employee behind the counter.

"Excuse me, can I take a look at that?" Michael asked nicely.

The employee behind the counter unlocked the case, and slid it out and up onto the countertop.

"It comes with everything you see here." The employee explained.

Michael flipped the guitar over and over again, inspecting it closely on all sides. It was a Silvertone acoustic guitar from the 1960s, with a nice muted orange sunburst finish and an off white pick guard. It didn't seem like an expensive guitar, and was probably worth nothing to a collector.

*Twang~

Plucking the strings revealed it had a softer and gentler tone, unlike the metallic sound of modern metal string guitar. It gave off a vintage feeling that pleased Michael's senses. Once he was done looking at the guitar, Michael turned his attention to the soft padded case that came with it. There were picks, a pack of extra strings, and a tuning fork.

"How much is it?" Michael asked.

"Twenty dollars." The employee said.

"Twenty... exactly?" Michael asked, surprised.

"Yes sir." The employee said.

Michael glanced at Akia, and Akia glanced at Michael at the same time.

"I'll take it!" Michael said.

...

So they walked out of the store with their purchases in hand. Michael clutched his new guitar to his chest.

"What were the odds of that? Twenty dollars in, twenty dollars out. It's like god telling me this is what I need to do." Michael said.

"Which one?" Akia asked.

"Harty har har har." Michael said dryly.

They got to the Duster, and Michael slid inside the driver side. He leaned over and unlocked the door so Akia could slide in.

"So... I have the tools. Now we should test the theory. Any ideas?" Michael asked.

"A place with a lot of entities would be the obvious choice." Akia said.

"A lot of people... hmm..." Michael hummed.

...

..

.

Later, Michael found himself strolling into a huge shopping mall with his new guitar in hand. Akia followed along behind, carrying the small ocarina hard case. It was warm inside that mall, and there were a lot of people in a central area with lots of seating. Some plants were scattered about, and a fountain shot water up into the air. High above, a huge glass ceiling let in plenty of natural daylight for the plants. It was quite a pleasant spot, perfect for what Michael had planned.

"Now the only thing left is to ask for permission." Michael said.

.

..

...

Michael came wandering out of the mall security office shortly later. Akia wasn't sure whether he had permission or not until he flashed her a toothy smile and gave her a thumbs up.

"They said so long as we don't bother anyone, we can play as much as we want. With the rule that if they say go, we have to go." Michael said.

Before long, Michael found himself sitting in the center of the mall with his musical instruments in hand. Akia sat next to him and offered her subtle automaton smile as encouragement.

"What should I play first?" Michael asked.

"What do you feel like playing master?" Akia asked.

He picked up the guitar, and spent a few minutes adjusting the strings and tuning it. Plucking at the strings a few times, he mused over he wanted to play.

"This one's for Sherry. Red Rubber Ball." Michael said.

~I should have known
You'd bid me farewell
There's a lesson to be learned from this
And I learned it very well
Now I know you're not the only
Starfish in the sea
If I never hear your name again
It's all the same to me

And I think it's gonna be alright
Yeah, the worst is over now
The morning sun is shining
Like a red rubber ball

You never cared
For secrets I confide
For you I'm just an ornament
Something for your pride
Always running, never caring
That's the life you live
Stolen minutes of your time
Were all you had to give

And I think it's gonna be alright
Yeah, the worst is over now
The morning sun is shining
Like a red rubber ball

The story's in the past
With nothing to recall
I've got my life to live
And I don't need you at all
The rollercoaster ride we took
Is nearly at an end
I bought my ticket with my tears
That's all I'm gonna spend

And I think it's gonna be alright
Yeah, the worst is over now
The mornin' sun is shining
Like a red rubber ball

Whoa, I think it's gonna be alright
Yeah, the worst is over now
The mornin' sun is shining
Like a red rubber ball~

Money dropped into the opened guitar case as people walked by. A dollar here, five dollars there, pocket change from some, and occasionally a person was generous with a ten or greater. Michael wasn't sure if he was just that good, or if people in Oklahoma City were just very generous. He hoped it was former.

"Thank you, thank you everyone. I appreciate it." Michael said nicely.

He played for hours that day. Alternating between the guitar and the ocarina, he raked in a whopping five hundred and thirty dollars. People seemed to like the ocarina better, but he wasn't playing to please them. He was playing for himself. And that's why he was good at it.

...

..

.

~Two Days Later~

.

..

...

*Clickcreeeeak

Michael and Akia stepped through the front door of a small house.

"Here it is Akia, our new home for a while." Michael said.

"It's nice master." Akia said.

It was a little granny flat, situated in a decent if somewhat lower income part of town. The landlord barely spoke English, and he didn't ask too many questions. So they were able to rent it for a decent price with no contract required. As an extra bonus, Michael had inspected it very carefully and found absolutely zero pests, zero building damage, and zero anything that would make the place uncomfortable to live in. It seemed that whoever had lived in it previously had taken good care of it. It had a distinct 'old person' smell.

"Probably really was a granny who was the last tenant. It's not run down at all. I can live with this. No issue." Michael thought.

So Michael and Akia moved in with what little possessions they had. It was only a one bedroom apartment, so they had to share the closet. Included with the rent was a couple pieces of furniture, mostly consisting of a couch, a few floor lamps, a fridge, and a small dining table with chairs. Everything else was missing, so Michael was forced to throw his heap of blankets on the floor in the bedroom.

"At least it has a washer and dryer." Michael said.

It didn't take more than fifteen minutes to unload the Duster. Most of his very important possessions went in the closet, including documents and some hard drives he swiped from his desktop back in Arizona.

"Why didn't you bring the whole computer master?" Akia asked.

"I was in a hurry, and I couldn't make it fit. Sorry." Michael said.

"We only have the PSP." Akia said, dejected.

"There's a couple of games on that crappy Lenovo of mine. Feel free to play those." Michael said.

Akia nodded.

"Otherwise... who gets the bedroom and who sleeps on the couch?" Michael asked.

"I do not require sleep, therefore the only logical choice would be for you to use the bedroom." Akia said.

"Are you sure? I would think you'd want a private room to yourself." Michael said, uncertain.

Akia tilted her head.

"You know, because you're a cute girl and whatnot." Michael added.

"Please explain this concept." Akia said.

"Don't you need somewhere private to get dressed and undressed?" Michael asked awkwardly.

"No." Akia said simply.

"...okay then, I guess I get the bedroom." Michael said, uncertain.

"We require soap." Akia said.

"Uh... what about the bedroo..." Michael started.

"Soap master. Soap." Akia insisted.

"Soap... right. For what exactly?" Michael asked.

"Cleaning. I must ensure you remain in a hygienic environment so you do not contract a disease." Akia said, matter of fact.

"Yeah that's usually what soap is used for. I'm just surprised you're so determined to get it RIGHT NOW. We just got here." Michael noted.

"And we require soap. More specifically, you require soap." Akia added.

Michael lifted his arm and smelled himself.

"Okay yeah, let's go get some soap." Michael said instantly.

And within moments, Michael's ass was firmly planted in the driver seat of the Duster once again. They went straight to the stores, and picked up the basics. Dish soap, hand soap, shampoo, food for the pantry, milk and eggs, bread, and other similar items. After they finished, the duo hit the thrift store again to get more entertainment. They ended up coming home with a little 19 inch CRT television with built in VHS player, and a whole pile of 25 cent VHS tapes. Against Michael's better judgment, Akia managed to convince him to get a copy of The Terminator on VHS.

"Oh sure, that's going to end well." Michael thought.

...

When they got home, they were immediately socked in with a brand new snow storm. Michael was deeply relieved that he wouldn't have to spend another night freezing in the back of the Duster. At least when he froze in the granny flat, he wouldn't have to be curled up like a pretzel. With nothing else to do but wait, Michael and Akia curled up on the couch and watched a movie together.

"The next few months won't be very much fun. But if I can keep my inertia up and work hard as I can, the reward is a peaceful life in the other world. I can do this! Especially with Akia here~" Michael thought.

...

..

.

~Four Weeks Later~

.

..

...

*Clickcreeeeeeak

"Welcome home master! How was your day at work?" Akia asked cheerfully.

*FLOP

He collapsed on the couch, snow falling off his shoulders.

*Blow

*Blow

He blew his hot breath into his cupped hands.

"Can't feel my fingers. It's damn cold out there." Michael murmured.

"Would you like me to prepare a hot meal?" Akia asked.

"Yes please. Emphasis on the hot part." Michael said softly.

Akia went into the kitchen and started preparing a meal. As she worked, she spoke to him from the kitchen.

"How much did you make today?" Akia asked.

"I haven't counted it yet." Michael said.

He reached into his coat pocket and pulled out a ziplock baggy full of bills and coins.

"Hmm... I count six hundred and sixty three dollars." Michael said.

With the frying pan heating up in the kitchen, Akia took a moment to head over to the wall mounted gas heater. She removed the five foot tall metal access panel, and pulled out a Monster Energy can with the removable cap.

"The piggy bank master." Akia said.

"Thanks, I really didn't want to get up to get it. I'm pretty tired." Michael said, smiling faintly.

He dropped the money into the can, alongside the rest of their savings. Once he was done, she placed it securely back in their little hiding place, and sealed it up with the metal panel.

...

A little time passed. Akia prepared some food, and brought it to him on a plate. Michael waited anxiously with a smile on his face, wondering what she would bring him that day.

"It's like a little game. You never know what this girl is going to bring. I've seen the craziest combinations come out of her kitchen." Michael thought.

Akia showed up with the plate, and he got a good look at his dinner that night. There was a slice of steaming hot toast, cottage cheese, a pair of ballpark franks, a red beet, an egg, and a banana.

"Yep, she didn't disappoint." Michael thought.

Akia was an artist at penny pinching. After Michael put her in charge of grocery shopping, with the instructions to keep it cheap, Akia went all out doing cost analysis of various grocery items compared to calorie content. She wanted maximum calories, for minimum dollars, while still being somewhat healthy. Her usual tactic was to try to include at least some sort of grain, some sort of protein, some sort of fat, some sort of veggie, and some sort of fruit with every meal. What those items happened to be was determined by whatever was on sale at the time. It was very efficient, but it didn't account for normal meal combinations. The previous dinner had consisted of corn flakes, a lump of cheddar cheese, baked chicken, strawberries, and a slice of raw cabbage. And to Michael's credit, he ate everything she gave him without a single complaint. He didn't have the heart to tell her she was a lousy cook. And also... he asked for it, so he wasn't about to complain.

...

So while Michael ate his dinner, Akia settled onto the couch next to him.

"You have made a surprising amount of money in the previous few weeks." Akia noted.

"Yeah, I guess people really like my music." Michael said.

"I'm concerned it is going to draw unwanted attention. You have already informed me that law enforcement may wish to interfere." Akia said.

"There's nothing we can do about it. I'm definitely not TRYING to cause a scene. I know it's magic and all, but I've gotten the hang of controlling it." Michael said.

"I suggest we should be able to leave at a short notice master, just in case." Akia said.

"Agreed. Could you make that happen? I'm pooped." Michael said.

Akia nodded. He took a few bites of his food, and then paused to rub his hands together. In order to play his music, he wore gloves with the finger tips cut off. Of course that meant their protection was compromised, but it was the only solution Michael could think up at the time.

"I've never lived in a place this cold before. Is it always like this here in February?" Michael asked.

"March. Today is the first of March. The weather reporter on the radio said this is an unusually cold winter." Akia corrected.

"Hmm... spring should be coming very soon though. At least I hope." Michael hummed.

...

*Knockknockknock!

Michael immediately stiffened.

"Is it..." Michael hesitated.

"No master. It's not Searraigh. My sensors indicate it's the landlord." Akia whispered.

"Whew..." Michael breathed.

Michael groaned and got to his feet, and answered the door. Sure enough, it was their landlord. Akia's sensors were frighteningly accurate.

"Come for the rent?" Michael asked.

"Due first month. It first day. Pay up." The landlord said with a heavy accent.

"Yes sir. Just give me five minutes, I just got back from work." Michael said.

He walked off, and then came back a couple minutes later with the money in hand. With the landlord appeased, Michael closed the door up and went back to his dinner.

"Note to self. Pay the landlord in the morning so he won't come knocking." Michael said.

"Command accepted." Akia said.

He came back and flopped down onto the couch.

"What movie would you like to watch master?" Akia asked.

She held up the stack of cheap VHS tapes they had stockpiled over the previous weeks.

"This one?" Akia asked.

"Nah, not in the mood." Michael said.

"How about this one?" Akia asked.

"We just watched that. Heck, we've watched all of them multiple times." Michael said.

So Akia put away the movies, and offered Michael the PSP.

"I'm not in the mood for that either." Michael said.

Akia formed a worried expression.

"What's the matter master?" Akia asked softly.

"I don't know. I just feel... restless. And kinda hungry. Just let me finish my dinner, I'll feel better afterwards." Michael said.

"My sensors indicate that your overall energy levels have dropped since we were reunited." Akia said.

"I'm sorry." Michael said softly.

"Why are you sorry master? It's not your error, I just wish to assist you." Akia said.

"You're doing just fine. I promise. It's just this weather. Once it gets warm, I'll snap right back. No worries." Michael reassured.

Akia didn't seem so convinced, but there was nothing she could do about it.

...

When Michael finished his meal, he slowly leaned over towards his loyal automaton companion. His head landed in her lap, which was just as soft and warm to the touch as any ordinary woman. Akia was more on the petite side, but that didn't mean her thighs weren't the most sublime pillows in the world. Akia gently stroked her mechanical fingers through his hair until he fell asleep. After she was sure he was completely conked out, she carefully slid out of under him and threw his favorite yellow fuzzy blanket over his tired body.

...

..

.

~The Next Morning~

.

..

...

Michael woke up slowly. He dragged himself off the couch, and into the bathroom so he could take a shower. It was very difficult, his body didn't want to cooperate at all.

"Why am I dragging so much? Ugh... I'm so tired." Michael thought.

After taking a shower, he dragged his carcass back out into the kitchen for some coffee.

"Good morning master. What coffee would you like this morning?" Akia asked.

"Ughhhhh..." Michael moaned.

"Yes master. Extra strong coffee." Akia said.

Michael flopped onto the couch as Akia started the coffee. When she looked back at him, he was already half unconscious again, so she added an extra scoop of coffee.

...

"Here you go master." Akia said.

By the time she brought him the coffee, it was strong enough to etch a PCB, and thick enough to tar paper a roof. He didn't even bother with the cup, he just gulped down the coffee straight from the pot.

"GAH~ I needed that." Michael sighed contently.

"Um... master? You just drank an entire pot of coffee. Wasn't it hot?" Akia asked.

"Extremely." Michael said.

He gulped down the cup of coffee as well. Akia simply stared at him for several long moments before speaking again.

"Your breakfast will be ready soon." Akia said, uncertain.

...

The only thing that really seemed to make a noteworthy effect on Michael's energy levels that morning was breakfast. Sitting next to his tray of food was the cellophane wrapped poppy that Akia had given him a while ago. She put it there in an attempt to elevate his mood, which was something he desperately needed. And while he was in the middle of his meal, Akia came over with an apple that she carved a cute little anime style character onto. It would have fit in nicely if Michael were eating a bento meal. As emotionless as Akia tended to be, her actions were absolutely packed with emotions.

"You're really trying hard to make me feel better... and I really appreciate it." Michael said kindly.

"My programming dictates I must assist my master in all ways." Akia said.

"Sure. And thank you." Michael said.

He wolfed down his breakfast, and headed for the door. There was work to do, and there wasn't much point in sandbagging.

"Are you going to the library again today?" Michael asked as Akia helped him with his coat.

"Yes master." Akia said.

"Good. Take a couple dollars out of the piggy bank, and see if you can't come up with some new VHS tapes from the thrift store. If you feel like it of course." Michael said.

"Thank you master, I will comply." Akia said.

"I'll be at that little shopping center with the cheapy mart, over to the east. You know the place, right?" Michael asked.

"Yes master. If something happens, I will look for you there." Akia said.

"It's a shame that mall didn't let us play there a second time. Oh well..." Michael said.

Michael picked up his guitar and ocarina cases, and headed out door.

...

~Later~

...

Michael found himself near the front door to the cheapy mart, sitting on a bench next to a very old and beat up payphone. There was an overhang where he was sitting, which provided him some small protection from the cold wind. He played the guitar that day, mostly because that was what he felt like doing.

"People need groceries, no matter what the weather is like. And they have to pass right by me to get them." Michael thought.

So he played the guitar, and sang a few songs. It was mostly a smattering of 50s and 60s stuff that he liked personally. Often times he played with his eyes closed, as the music flowed from his soul and not his mind. The whole world seemed so distant. People passed him by, and every once in a while he would hear someone pause to toss coins in the guitar case.

*Crich

*Crich

*Crich

...

*CLINK

Coins fell into the guitar case. The sound was very weird... like the distinctive ping of gold coins. Michael's state of pure serenity was broken, and he opened his eyes. The first thing he noticed was a woman's pair of feet. She wasn't wearing shoes, and her toes wiggled in the half frozen slurry of snow blanketing the ground. His eyes trailed upwards, following her bare legs, past a totally skimpy hip-hugging skirt, past a bare belly button, past a huge pair of barely covered breasts, and finally landing on a sickeningly familiar face.

"Hello cutie pie, it's been a while. You have a very beautiful voice." The kraken said.

"Ohshitohshit!" Michael blurted.

He tried to jump up, but she placed a single finger on the tip of his nose. A strange sensation of calm weighed down on him, and he seated himself right back down on the bench.

"Don't go running off, it's hard to walk around on land. Especially with these silly human legs." The kraken said.

She wobbled like a baby deer. Clearly she wasn't used to walking on two legs. Michael immediately guessed that the kraken was using magic to hide her lower half.

"We have some catching up to do. Where do you live? You look cold." The kraken asked.

"I'm not telling you..." Michael said defiantly.

She didn't even let him finish his sentence before she gently pushed the guitar out of the way and sat in his lap. Her body was incredibly warm and soft to the touch.

"Then we'll just have our discussion here~" The kraken said sweetly.

Michael struggled to get free, but she was far stronger than Sherry. That, and Michael wasn't exactly at his peak. No matter what he did, no matter which way he wormed or wiggled, he couldn't get free of her two human arms. And during it all, she let out a sultry laugh, as if his lame attempts were the most amusing thing she had ever seen.

"Let go!" Michael exclaimed.

"Nope~ I went to a lot of trouble to find you, and I'm keeping you~" The kraken insisted.

*Smooch

She managed to land a kiss on his lips. He sputtered in displeasure. Leaning in, she went for a second kiss, but never got the chance to connect.

"Excuse me, sir!" Someone said distantly.

Michael and the kraken both turned their heads, and found a duo of police officers heading their way. Michael groaned internally.

"Look woman... you need to let me go." Michael murmured urgently.

"Why? Who are they?" The kraken asked.

"Damn coppers. They'll try to arrest me." Michael spat under his breath.

...

..

.

"Can I help you officer?" Michael asked, as politely as he could.

"We received a number of complaints about some illicit solicitation going on in front of this store." The police officer said.

"Solicitation?" The kraken murmured, confused.

"That's right. And from the looks of it, that person would be you. I'm going to have to write you a ticket." The police officer said.

"Are you kidding? I wasn't soliciting anything! I was just sitting here playing the guitar!" Michael exclaimed.

"Thems the breaks kid. You should have read the sign." The police officer said, shrugging.

Michael's face twisted in anger. He was just about to lash out at the police officers with an angry and well deserved tirade, but the kraken silenced him with a peck on the cheek.

"Let me deal with this." The kraken whispered.

She rose up out of his lap, and faced the two officers. Michael started packing up his guitar and meager earnings.

"Excuse me a moment, but please let me explain my friend's..." The kraken started.

"Why aren't you wearing shoes?" The police officer interrupted.

"What are shoes? Nevermind... that's not important. What's more important, is you need to forget all about that fine." The kraken said, her eyes flashing crimson.

The two police officers formed slack expressions on their faces.

"Do you gentlemen have wives or girlfriends?" The kraken asked.

They both nodded.

"Oh that's wonderful! Go home. Kiss her, and tell her you love her. Then make passionate love to her for the rest of the night. Surely you have the overwhelming urge to do that right now." The kraken suggested kindly.

The two officers turned and jogged straight back to their police cruiser.

"And when you wake up tomorrow, they will have become two lovely new mermaids." The kraken muttered under her breath.

She turned, proud of herself for having dealt with the problem so effortlessly. But when she laid eyes on the bench seat, she found it completely vacated. Michael had bailed out while she was distracted.

...

..

.

Michael hurried in the direction of home. About a mile down the road, he stopped and pulled out his Nokia. He kept it off 99% of the time, unless he wanted Akia to come home. She could monitor the cellular network remotely, so she knew exactly when the phone was turned on. The agreement was for Akia to hurry home immediately upon connection.

"We'll pack and leave as fast as we can. Did I remember to put gas in the Duster? Should I leave a letter for the landlord? Ugh! How did she find me? How did she even get to this world?!" Michael thought.

...

"If she's here, does that mean Sherry's nearby? She stalked me when we first met, maybe she's doing that again! Damn it, I wish I still had my Beretta!" Michael thought.

...

"We'll head on down to Texas. At least its warmer down there. If we keep moving, going from town to town, we should stay one step ahea..." Michael thought.

*GRAB

The kraken came out of nowhere, grabbed him with her two tentacles, and cast a spell all in one smooth motion. He passed out instantly. She held him still while she caught her breath.

*Pantpantpant

"There! Now you can't run! Goodness, what a pain!" The kraken exclaimed.

...

~Later~

...

Michael groggily awoke to the sound of someone shouting. He opened his eyes, and discovered that he was laying on the couch in his own home. That shouting voice was actually Akia trying frantically to get his attention.

"Master! MASTER!" Akia exclaimed.

He looked up to his left. Akia was suspended up in the air by strands of demonic energy that were attached to the ceiling and the wall. She was completely locked down, and unable to move.

"Run master! Get the shotgun! The SHOTGUN!" Akia pleaded.

The shotgun was in the bedroom, stashed away in the closet. It was the last firearm he owned, after having lost his M14 to Sherry, his AK74 to Druella, and his Beretta to Serena. He tried standing up, but he was immediately shoved right back down into the couch by a multitude of squid arms.

"No I don't think so, you should stay put." The kraken said.

Akia struggled, trying to break her bindings so she could bring her blaster to bear. Her metallic joints creaked from the strain.

"Don't hurt yourself. He'd hate it if his friend hurt herself for no reason." The kraken said kindly.

"Keep your hands off him meat bag, or I'll blast a hole in you!" Akia warned.

"I intend to put my hands all over him a whole lot, and I'd ask you to please be nice. Nobody needs to be hurt." The kraken said calmly.

One of her squid arms slid under his shirt, and wrapped around his torso.

"You haven't been eating well! Poor boy. I take it that one hasn't been taking good care of you?" The kraken asked.

*SCHRIP

She ripped off all of Michael's clothes, just like she did when they first met. Then she pushed him over, and laid down on top of him. Her insanely soft breasts squished up against his chest.

"Ahhh... hmmm... ohhhh..." The kraken moaned.

She rubbed against his body, her soft smooth skin sliding up and down his torso. Her hands and squid arms touched and fondled him all over. As expected for a kraken, she wasn't wasting any time before getting down to business. She leaned in and planted her soft lips on his, and invaded his mouth with her warm tongue. All of his resistance evaporated as a pleasant tingling filled his body. Every spot where her body came in contact with his skin would erupt in pleasure. His whole body was turning into an erogenous zone.

...

After a while, it seemed as if the kraken wasn't satisfied with just kissing. She pulled away and stared deep into Michael's bleary eyes.

"I want more. I want you inside me. Let's do it cutie pie, let's do it right now!" The kraken urged.

She slid her hand down between their bodies, and fished around for his manhood. What she found wasn't exactly what she expected to find.

"Wait a moment... why aren't you hard yet?!" The kraken blurted.

"Master doesn't want to have sexual intercourse with you!" Akia interjected.

"And why not? He's an incubus, isn't he? That's what they do! What could stop an incubus from... unless..." The kraken trailed off.

She turned her violet eyes back towards Michael.

"What did that succubus do to you?" The kraken asked.

...

..

.

~Later~

.

..

...

Michael recounted his whole story, beginning with the day when he first made that wish on the magic coin, and ending with that morning when he woke up as an course he didn't want to cooperate with the kraken at first, but she was able to use a couple gentle spells and a few well placed kisses to get him going. He told his story, didn't leave out any details, didn't embellish the truth, and didn't state things out of context. He just laid the facts on her, one after another. After all, the facts were already horrific as they were, there was no need to add extra punch. Sometimes Akia would interject when Michael's memory failed or he recalled something slightly out of order. Sometimes she would interject details that happened when Michael wasn't around, or was so fucked in the head that he couldn't recall. When it was all over, the kraken looked like she was physically ill.

"Dear god." The kraken murmured.

She pulled away from Michael, clutching the strands of silken hair on her head.

"Dear god... dear god..." The kraken murmured.

...

"You poor man! I'm so sorry! I had no idea!" The kraken blurted.

"Are you... seriously apologizing to me?" Michael asked in disbelief.

"I am! If I had known, I would NEVER have assaulted you! No wonder you're not hard! How could anyone get turned on after experiencing all of that! Now everything makes sense!" The kraken exclaimed.

She turned her back to him, composed herself, straightened her hair, and then turned to face him again.

"You have told me your story, so now I shall tell you mine. You may have heard of me, I am known as the great sea witch of the east. My domain is the great underwater city of Tythas, where I rule as queen." The kraken recounted.

Michael stomach fluttered a little. That kraken just suddenly became far more of a threat. Not only was she the queen of a territory, but she was also a magician of some kind. Images of Sherry and her manipulative magic immediately popped into the front of Michael's brain. It didn't help when the kraken raised her arms and demonstrated her power to Michael. Whether she was trying to impress or frighten him, he wasn't sure.

*Brrrrrrrr...

The room vibrated with her power. All the lights dimmed, the windows rattled, and Michael's skin tingled with the distinctive caress of raw mana. Just as soon as it started, it was over. Her arms fell to her sides.

"I ruled kindly and justly, and I was loved by my people. In appreciation for my years of dedication, my subjects gifted me a magical coin. And I used that coin, just like you did." The kraken recounted.

Michael recoiled in surprise.

"Yes, I see the look on your face. You're wondering if I'm speaking the truth, and I assure you that I am. The coin lead me to the ship of man, where I encountered you!" The kraken said, smiling warmly.

She once again slid onto his lap, which once again made him squirm. Pausing, she looked deep into his eyes.

"Why are you frightened? Surely you don't think I'm going to hurt you like she did." The kraken asked.

"What's stopping you?" Michael shot.

"... common decency?" The kraken countered.

Michael scoffed. As far as he was concerned, common decency wasn't so common anymore.

"I'm not going to let that succubus ruin your life. You're not a lost cause yet, you can still be saved." The kraken insisted.

She plastered Michael's face with kisses, much to his displeasure.

"I'll show you what a real woman is like, and not an abusive she-child. I'll be the woman you wanted." The kraken insisted.

"I don't want that anymore. Just go away and leave me in peace!" Michael insisted.

"Nope~ I'm not giving up on you that easily. I couldn't bring myself to leave you now, not after hearing your story. Everyone's worthy of saving, including you. Don't think otherwise just because that succu-butt treated you poorly." The kraken said.

She pointed the tip of her tentacle at him.

"You sir... are jaded. You do not understand what inma truly are. I shall show you in the only way I know how. With love and tenderness." The kraken said.

A mischievous glint formed in her eye.

"I shall live here now, and I shall replace that succubus who abused you. I am now the mistress of the household. There shall be changes." The kraken insisted.

"Why me? Why didn't you pick one of those sailors instead?" Michael asked.

"Didn't you hear me? The magic coin brought us together. You are the one I am fated to be with. No one else will do." The kraken insisted.

...

"When I saw you, I knew immediately that you were the one. I felt a tingle in my heart. And when we kissed... it was as if lightning shot through my body!" The kraken recalled.

Michael thought back to his encounter with the kraken, both on the ship and on the shore. He remembered a strange feeling when she looked at him the first time. And he remembered an electric feeling in his chest when she kissed him. There was definitely something different about that woman, and he couldn't put his finger on it.

"I only let those sailors harm me the way they did because I was afraid I might accidentally hurt the one I was meant to be with. Fate has a way of giving you what you want, and then taking it away again." The kraken explained.

*Pomf~

She pushed him over and cuddled up against his chest.

"Ah ah... I hear your heart pounding in your chest. Do you like it when I get this close? Do you hunger for someone to touch you?" The kraken asked.

"I want you to get off me!" Michael countered, annoyed.

"Your mouth says one thing, but your body is saying something else. Which should I believe? Or do you even know what you want anymore? Has that succubus fouled up your head that much?" The kraken asked.

She reached up to ruffle his hair, but he flinched away.

"Oh my! I'm not going to hit you like she did." The kraken said.

She gently patted his head, and stroked her long fingernails through his hair. Just that simple touch was enough to make Michael shudder and close his eyes.

"That's better~ Now I just need you to understand that being around women doesn't have to involve pain. And you clearly need a woman in your life." The kraken said softly.

"I have Akia." Michael said.

"Who?" The kraken questioned.

Michael's eyes trailed upwards towards his faithful automaton companion, who was still glued to the wall with demonic energy. The kraken followed his gaze.

"Oh, you mean her. I don't sense her mana on your aura. What is she to you?" The kraken asked, uncertain.

"My one and only friend in the whole world." Michael said.

"I see. Your one and only friend..." The kraken said.

Michael felt a tinge of fear in his belly from the kraken's tone of voice. She raised her hand towards Akia, and he seriously thought there was going to be some sort of attack. It wasn't much of a stretch for the kraken to eliminate competition. Instead, much to Michael's relief, the kraken simply waved her hand and dispelled the demonic energy trap.

*GLORP!

*THUD

Akia hit the floor feet first, and immediately deployed her blaster.

"I released you automaton, and I can easily restrain you again." The kraken warned.

"I must protect my master." Akia said.

"How noble and selfless. However, I have no intention of either harming your master or fighting you. If you attack me, I will simply evade." The kraken said.

...

*Niiiiiiiiiirrrrrooowwww

*PEW!

The kraken disappeared in a flash of crimson, and reappeared behind Akia. At the same time, her stun bolt impacted Michael directly, knocking him out. Akia barely had enough time to utter the word 'master' in surprise before a pair of kraken tentacles captured her from behind.

"Surprise! Now look what you've done to your master. Are you proud of yourself?" The kraken asked.

"I am not." Akia said.

"The two of you are worried about me harming you, but you're just harming yourselves. Reflect upon your actions!" The kraken insisted.

She gave Akia a gentle push, and let her free. Akia instinctually took a step towards Michael.

"Now don't do that again, or you might hit your master a second time." The kraken said.

She crawled back towards the couch, and gently lifted Michael's head so she could lay it on her lap. Akia remained motionless, her blaster arm resting at her side.

"Do you have something further to say?" The kraken asked.

"If you harm my master... if you truly harm my master, I will destroy you." Akia warned emotionlessly.

Akia went and stood in the corner and entered a 'guard duty' surveillance mode. Just like that... the duo had become a trio.

...

Michael moaned, and slowly woke up.

"Hey there cutie pie, how are you feeling?" The kraken asked.

"Ugh..." Michael moaned.

"I'm sorry you feel that way." The kraken said mournfully.

She raised her hand over his head, which prompted Akia to raise her blaster and charge up another bolt.

"I want to dull his pain." The kraken said.

"Then give him aspirin." Akia shot.

"What in the world is aspirin?" The kraken asked.

She never got an answer. Michael groaned as he sat upright, and got up to get it himself.

...

~Later~

...

Shortly after the kraken forced her way into their home, she wound up finding her way into the kitchen. She opened every cupboard, inspected every shelf in the pantry, and eventually discovered the refrigerator.

"Akia dear, would you be so kind as to run to the market and buy some food? It seems your larder has run a bit low." The kraken said nicely.

She looked over, and saw that Akia hadn't moved an inch. The blaster was still deployed, but was also still down at her hip.

"If you need coin, look inside the case he keeps his lute. I threw some gold in there." The kraken said.

"Akia, don't do a thing she says." Michael said.

"Yes master." Akia said.

"Ugh... I would expect that from a human, but not an incubus. I know you don't trust me, but surely you've realized that automaton can't protect you." The kraken said.

She formed a devilish grin.

"Akia, I command you to not kiss your master." The kraken said.

Akia immediately leaned over and kissed Michael on the cheek, in direct opposition to what the kraken said to do.

"Think your words through carefully before you say them. She's liable to run off and do exactly what you tell her to do." The kraken said, chuckling.

She put her hands on her hips.

"Now about that trip to the market..." The kraken said.

"Just go on your own." Michael said dryly.

"Hmm... no. You two might be gone when I get back, and it would be a terrible bother tracking you down again." The kraken said.

...

"I will go with you." Akia said.

The kraken raised an eyebrow.

"You will? That's surprising." The kraken said.

"It is the only logical choice. I will not leave you here alone with my master while I shop, and you will not leave by yourself to shop. I will not allow you to shop with my master while I stay here. Therefore, I must go with you." Akia reasoned.

"How do I know that Michael won't leave while we're gone?" The kraken asked.

*Jingle~

Michael pulled his keys out and tossed them to Akia. The kraken watched with an inquisitive gaze.

"I can't get very far if I don't use the Duster." Michael said.

The kraken turned and looked out the window towards Michael's faithful Plymouth Duster sitting in the driveway. She didn't understand how cars worked, but she did know that people used them for transportation in that new and exotic world called Earth. After all, she had spent weeks dodging them while looking for Michael. And of course she understood the concept of keys and locks, so she was able to put two and two together. No keys must mean the car was unusable.

"Very well. So long as I can get the food, and we all are at peace, then I accept this compromise." The kraken said.

So shortly later, Akia and the kraken headed out the door. Michael sat on the couch and watched them walk down the driveway and out of sight. The grocery store wasn't far away, so there was no point in either of them using the Duster, not that they could legally drive it anyways. Akia knew how, but she didn't because Michael restricted her to emergencies only. Which was just fine for Michael's plans.

"Dumbass." Michael muttered under his breath.

He waited for them to get far enough away from the house, and then he went out to the Duster.

*THUNK

He popped the hood, reached under a secret spot in the engine compartment, and came up with a very dirty and greasy magnetic hide-a-key box.

"Hehe... sucker." Michael muttered.

He slid the top of the box open, and smiled at the sight of his spare keys. With them, he could just nope out of the whole situation. He could take the money from inside the granny flat and run. That kraken would never catch him, the element of surprise would be lost. The only problem was meeting up with Akia again. They had enough pre-determined signaling plans to get around it, but she would be on her own for a while. That didn't sit well with him, especially after what happened at that truck stop. Furthermore, Michael had come to lean on Akia a lot over the previous weeks. While he could certainly survive on his own, he simply didn't want to anymore.

...

He stood there with those keys in his hands, and waffled back and forth over what he should do. On the surface, he was arguing with himself over whether he was willing to temporarily abandon Akia. Deep down, a morbid curiosity had taken root. A tiny piece of him wanted to listen to what the kraken had to say, and an overwhelming part of him wanted to get the flock out of there. He would never admit it, but deep down a tiny piece of his love for inma hadn't been destroyed by Sherry. Ultimately his sense of self preservation ensured that tiny little whispering voice in his soul would go ignored.

...

~Later~

...

When Akia and the kraken returned to the granny flat, they found Michael sitting on the couch with a paperback novel in his hands. Akia wasn't much of one to show emotions, but Michael could see the look of absolute shock on her face that he was still there. The kraken on the other hand had no problem showing her pleasure at seeing Michael again.

"Hello cutie pie! We're back from the market!" The kraken said cheerfully.

"Hmmp." Michael huffed.

"As cheerful as always I see. No worries, I'm not upset." The kraken said.

She went into the kitchen and loaded things into the cupboards and refrigerator. Michael watched quietly, his eyes filled with resentment over having his home invaded.

"Master?" Akia questioned.

She jingled his keys in front of his face, and he peeled his eyes away from the kraken for a moment.

"Oh... thanks." Michael murmured.

He went to take the offered keys, but they disappeared in a flash of crimson. A jingle came from the kitchen, and Michael looked back to find the kraken casually spinning the keys around on her finger.

"I think I'll hold onto these for you dear. Forgive my thievery, but I can't have you running off when I'm not looking." The kraken said.

Michael glared at her, but said nothing. She went back to rummaging around in his kitchen.

"What do we do now master?" Akia whispered.

"Put a tape in the VHS player." Michael whispered.

Akia tilted her head.

"You did have the chance to get new ones, didn't you?" Michael whispered.

"Yes master, but..." Akia whispered.

"Put one in. I want to watch a movie. Why don't you put in Rocky?" Michael whispered.

...

..

.

A long time passed. Akia got caught up in the movie, while Michael was only half watching it. The kraken was moving around the house, poking her nose into literally everything they owned. Michael was waiting for the right time to come so they could enact part two of his plan. Eventually the kraken went into the bedroom and bathroom, leaving the two of them in the living room.

*patpat

Michael quietly patted Akia's leg. She looked away from the movie and tilted her head. Michael nodded towards the front door, and quietly slid out of the couch. The movie kept playing. Just as Rocky was shouting 'Adrian! Adrian!' on the television, Michael and Akia were heading out the front door.

...

Michael quickly and quietly opened the driver door of the Duster.

"Hurry up, before she notices we're gone." Michael whispered.

"Master, what about..." Akia whispered.

"Just get in the car. Hurry!" Michael whispered urgently.

Akia slid in the passenger side, and Michael produced his spare set of keys. He knew that the nanosecond the Duster roared to life, he would need to peel out of there as quickly as possible before the kraken could stop them with magic.

*Cllllliiiiiick

He turned the ignition key to the second position, took a shuddering breath, and cranked it.

*Whirrwhirrwhirr

*BRAAAAA!

...

..

.

They made it exactly ten feet down the driveway before the kraken showed up. Her arrival was punctuated with the classic sound of magical teleportation, followed with a multitude of kraken arms which restrained them both.

"Aha! I knew it! You sneaky little boy! I knew you would try to run this way!" The kraken exclaimed.

"How?!" Michael exclaimed angrily.

"You didn't fight to get your keys back. Also, I noticed that you didn't have any possessions in the house. Let me guess, you packed while Akia and I were shopping?" The kraken asked.

Michael pursed his lips.

"You'd better answer honestly, or I'm going to do mischievous things to you." The kraken warned.

"Yes I packed while you were out." Michael forced through gritted teeth.

"Hmmm... but you didn't leave. Which tells me you were waiting for Akia to come back. You didn't want to leave her behind." The kraken reasoned.

"You should have left without me master." Akia said.

"No, he should have just stayed put and not bothered. Now that I've found him, I can easily follow wherever he goes. Run all he wants, I'll just pop in when he least expects it." The kraken said.

Michael hung his head, and quietly parked the Duster back where it was. The engine sputtered silent. Then in a fit of anger, he threw the spare keys at the kraken.

"You might as well steal those ones too!" Michael shot angrily.

"Now you're just acting like a child." The kraken said dryly.

Michael scoffed.

"What is it like to act like a child? I wouldn't know!" Michael shot.

He slid out of the Duster and did the walk of shame back inside.

...

~Later~

...

"Now... is everyone calmed down?" The kraken asked.

"Get out of my house." Michael growled.

"I'll take that as a yes." The kraken said.

She planted herself in his lap once again, and slid her fingertips up and down his arm.

"I know you hate and distrust me right now, and your attempts to push me away are very painful. But I'm not going to give up on trying to save you. You're only acting the way you are because that horrible woman ruined you. Horrible people always ruin everything good that's around them." The kraken said.

Michael looked away defiantly, which simply offered her a chance to kiss his cheek and whisper in his ear.

"You trusted her. You let her into your life, and she took advantage of you. Took advantage of your love. I know you're capable of great acts of love, I saw it in your eyes the morning you saved my life." The kraken said softly.

Her fingers entwined with his.

"I'm going to save you, just like you saved me." The kraken said softly.

*Smooch~

"Freaking weirdo." Michael spat.

"Weirdo? Is it weird to want to help someone? Perhaps you think I'm weird for staying after how rude you've been. Perhaps a better word would be 'determined'." The kraken said.

"Whatever, just get the hell off me you squid shaped home invader." Michael shot.

He pushed her, and she immediately made a pained sound.

"Oh~" The kraken winced.

Michael froze. He didn't mean to hurt her, he just wanted her off his lap.

"What's wrong with you?" Michael asked bluntly.

She rubbed one of her squid arms.

"I don't mean to be troublesome..." The kraken started.

"Oh you've already been that." Michael thought.

"... but it's so terribly dry here. I need some water badly, or I fear I'll shrivel up." The kraken said apologetically.

Michael waffled for several long moments as he flipped back and forth between 'Not Caring' and 'Caring'.

...

In the end, he couldn't bring himself to be cruel to that kraken any more than he already had been.

"Oh alright, fine! Follow me." Michael relented, annoyed.

So he stood up, and went into the next room. She followed him as he lead her all the way to the bathroom. He turned on the shower, and a stream of water flowed out. The kraken cooed.

"Lovely! I can..." The kraken paused.

*Sniff

*Sniffsniff

"What's wrong with your water?" The kraken asked.

"It's fine." Michael said dryly.

"No, there is certainly something inside the water. It has a foul stench." The kraken said.

"It's chlorinated." Michael said dryly.

"So there IS something in it!" The kraken exclaimed, shocked.

"It's to make sure the water doesn't have disease in it. Deal with it, just like the rest of us." Michael grumbled.

He turned to leave.

"Play the hand you're dealt." Michael added.

...

He went back into the living room, and let the kraken deal with her own problem. After a couple of minutes, she came out into the kitchen and retrieved a drinking cup. Michael averted his eyes, because she came out without a stitch of clothing.

"I thought up a solution cutie pie. I'll use magic to filter the water, and all the waste will go into this cup." The kraken said.

"Good for you. Now go put some clothes on." Michael said dryly.

"I can't bathe properly while wearing clothes silly. Of course if you want to look... you'll know where I am~" The kraken purred.

...

~Later~

...

Michael and Akia were sitting on the couch, when Michael started nodding off. It was getting really late, and it was well past when Michael would have normally gone to bed. He hadn't gone to bed yet because of the squid shaped rapist floating around in his bathroom.

"Akia, I'm having trouble keeping my eyes open." Michael whispered.

"Would you like me to make you some coffee master?" Akia whispered.

"I don't know if it would help." Michael whispered.

"If you fall asleep, I will guard you." Akia whispered.

She patted her lap, and Michael looked on with droopy eyes. It seemed so inviting to just lean over and take her up on her offer. So that's what he did. He leaned over, and Akia's inviting lap rushed upwards to meet his face.

...

*CrackleWHOOSH!

*Pomf

"Ah, there we go~ Right where you belong~" The kraken purred.

Michael flailed around in surprise when he found himself teleported into the bedroom, and face first in that kraken's huge tits instead of Akia's lap.

*Knockknockknock

*Rattlerattle

*Knockknockknock

"Akia can pound on that bedroom door all she wants, she's not getting in." The kraken said.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?!" Michael exclaimed.

"I finished my bath, and I sensed you were fatigued. Thank you for bringing me to the bath, now I thought I would return the favor by bringing you to bed." The kraken explained.

Michael squirmed uncomfortably, but there was no way to break out of her grasp. Those squid arms and tentacles could easily lock him down and keep him from moving.

"You had better tell her to stop beating on the door, or we'll never get any sleep." The kraken suggested.

...

"Akia!" Michael called.

The banging on the door fell silent.

"Yes master?" Akia called, muffled.

"Let it go. She's won." Michael called.

...

"What should I do master?" Akia called, muffled.

"Just do whatever you usually do at night." Michael called.

"Yes master. I shall obey." Akia said, muffled.

...

"She's leaving. Now it's just the two of us~" The kraken purred.

Her squid arms slithered up underneath his clothes, and expertly pulled them off. Her own clothes were already missing to begin with, so that meant they were squished together with bare skin on bare skin. She seemed to delight in how close they were.

"Why are you doing this to me?" Michael asked.

"Why? Isn't it obvious? It's cold, and we need to snuggle really close if we're going to share body heat. And of course I will offer up my breasts as pillows." The kraken said.

She exhaled heavily in his face, and a fine wisp of demonic energy went into his nose and mouth.

"Relaaaaax... haaaaahhhhhhh..." The kraken exhaled.

All resistance faded. Michael went limp in her embrace. It was just exactly how she wanted him to be, so she could finally refocus his attention on something far more pleasant than struggling or arguing.

"Ahhhhnnnnmmmm~" Michael moaned.

"Does it feel good when I touch you like this? I can take you all the way if you want, and I don't even have to touch you down there~" The kraken purred.

His whole body tingled as surges of pleasure shot out over every nerve. Each pulse of pleasure crashed into his brain like a tsunami, and barely gave him any time to recover before the next one came along to crash into his brain again. He folded like a piece of wet paper, and surrendered himself completely to that wonderful sensation. All she was doing was touching him, and she could make him feel so amazing. Imagine how good sex would be like...

"Oh~ You just got hard~ I feel it poking into my thigh~" The kraken purred.

She leaned in and whispered in his ear.

"Would you like to make love?" The kraken asked.

Michael's body screamed yes. His incubus soul screamed yes. Every corrupted nerve in his body screamed yes. His incubus instincts screamed yes. Everything about him wanted the good feelings to continue, except for the party pooper known as 'the rational mind'.

"No." Michael said with conviction.

He didn't even believe it as the word tumbled out of his mouth. Any ordinary monster girl would have seen right through the lie, and raped him anyways. Especially Sherry. But for whatever reason, the kraken accepted the refusal at face value.

"Aww, very well. Then good night cutie pie." The kraken said.

She pulled him as close as she could possibly get, and closed her eyes. She didn't try to rape him, or try to coax him any further. All she wanted was to cuddle, which was just something krakens liked to do. Eventually fatigue forced Michael to fall asleep, even in that strange predicament. The biggest thought on his mind as fatigue slowly took him... was amazement that she actually accepted the word NO. It was the one word that was completely missing from the monster girl vocabulary. They simply didn't understand it, and frankly he could understand. Why would anyone ever want to say no to free sex? Well he did, and she respected his wishes. For the first time in Michael's life, he was sinking into a relationship that was a two way street.

...

..

.

End of Part 1. Please continue to Part 2.