Hi, guys! See, your wonderful patience has paid off, two more chapters for your perusal. Thanks for all the reviews, even the "would you hurry up and update…you crackhead!" ones. That tells me you guys are on the edge of your seat and are dying to know what's going to happen next. We writers and I use that title loosely ; love to know that you like our work, even if you're saying it in a roundabout, threatening way.

Oh, just for the record, I would have had these chapters up last weekend, but I fell "ILL". And I like to give a special shout-out to Bastet, Queen of the Cats (CatQueen). I've been blowing up her email for the past couple of weeks. Thanx for everything Bastet!

Okay, no more jabbering…read and enjoy!

ILL

Chapter 16

Two weeks later…

Nia was sitting up in bed with pillows propped behind her back and under her bare feet. Her mini-comp was at her side and she was watching one of her favorite action movies on it while she munched from a bowl filled with heavily buttered popcorn. Most of her burns, bumps and bruises from the xeno attack had healed thanks to Zen's "magic potion". Her hand was still bandaged though, as that wound was far worse than the others.

The baby had had several growth spurts since the xenomorph incident. Thankfully Jax headed them off and rendered Nia unconscious so there were no tantrums for him to deal with. She was approximately five months pregnant and she had the belly to prove it. Her guardian was bumping around in the kitchen cleaning and straightening, but he suddenly stopped what he was doing and crossed the room to the bed.

"I would like to do a quick sonogram check on the baby," he said to Nia and she rolled her eyes from the screen of her mini-comp to his face, her irritation obvious in her expression.

"You just examined me an hour ago," she replied.

"I know, but…you had some very serious injuries and…"

"They've healed."

"Well, there may be internal injuries that I could have missed."

"You don't miss, remember?" she reminded, closing her mini-comp and pushing it farther to her right. "This is getting out of hand, Jax. You've checked me morning, noon and night since the attack; you haven't left this room in two weeks; you even stand outside the bathroom door when I take a shower."

"You could slip and fall-"

"You're driving me crazy!"

"He drives everyone crazy. It is in his programming," said a familiar voice. Jax turned around to find his counterpart walking through the main door followed by Prae'tor. Now it was Jax's turn to roll his eyes.

"Zen!" Nia exclaimed, glad for the distraction. She sat her bowl of popcorn on the floor and reached for a towel to wipe her fingers. "I am so glad you're here." He'd only come to visit her a few times since the attack.

The robot smiled gleefully. "You have grown," he noted and she rubbed her swollen abdomen.

"Save me, Zen. Jax is trying to analyze me again."

Zen's gaze moved to the other robot's face in irritation. "What could you possibly be looking for this time? Do you think the xeno injected nanites in her through its drool?"

Nia burst out laughing, but Jax frowned in anger. "I do not have to explain myself to you," he replied hotly, but Zen was unfazed. He stepped further into the room.

"Jax, Nia has done everything you wanted her to do. She has stayed in bed, she sleeps when you want her to, eats when you want her to…" Nia notes that he counts each item off on his fingers as he says them, "…she has allowed you to take blood, urine and follicle samples all without complaint. You even check her a few times while she was sleeping."

Nia's mouth dropped open in shock and her eyes shoot to Jax's face. "You didn't!"

Her guardian scowled at Zen for telling on him, then looked at Nia innocently. "I was just making sure you were okay."

"I was asleep," she replied flatly.

"I wanted to make sure your and the baby's vitals were not in any distress."

Nia was glaring at him hard. "Again…I was asleep."

"It does not hurt to be thorough."

It took everything inside her not to scratch his plasti-metal face with her nails. "I…was…asleep!"

Prae'tor interrupted the argument with a growl. Jax whirled around to face him.

"But, I…"

Nia frowned, not understanding what was happening, but she waited knowing all would be made clear. Prae'tor growled again more aggressively. Zen was grinning broadly.

"What?" she finally asked, curiosity getting the better of her.

"Prae'tor says he has to apologize for violating your very important sleep," Zen was happy to fill in.

"He did not say 'very important'," Jax corrected, glowering at the other robot before turning back to Nia. "I did not mean any harm. I only wanted to keep you safe."

Prae'tor snarled.

"All right!" Jax snapped at him then raised his hands in surrender. "I am sorry," he said to Nia after a short silence. "I hope you will not hold my over-protective actions against me."

Her anger was abated. "You were just being you," she said, "but you have to back off for a while with the Dr. Jax persona, okay?"

He nodded in consent.

"I am sorry…I hope you will not hold my over-protective actions against me…"

All eyes turn to Zen. He had replayed a recording of Jax's voice, the sound coming out of his own mouth.

"Cool!" Nia said, impressed. Jax, on the other hand, was not so thrilled.

"Why…why…why must you be so annoying!" he shouted.

"The Great Jax Robot apologizing," Zen said dramatically, scrolling his right hand through the air, "that was worth recording and hearing again."

Nia laughed loudly while Jax took a dangerous step toward the other robot.

"I have a surprise for you," Zen said, moving away from his counterpart who was bearing down on him with his fists clenched.

"Kill him later, Jax," she requested. "I want my surprise." Her guardian tossed Zen one more heated look, then turned to go back into the kitchenette. Nia watched him, then looked to Zen.

"Well?"

Prae'tor and Zen must have worked out their strategy before they entered the room because the Yaut'ja moved away from the spot where he'd been standing all this time and revealed a third A.I behind him. It was gold-toned, same as Zen, except it had three purple stripes circled around the wrists of both arms.

Nia's forehead crinkled in bewilderment momentarily, then her eyes widened in recognition.

"Gab?"