“Makes sense,” said Alex, nodding. “They couldn’t think of that before?”
“They did. But some parents protested. Some still object, of course, but the universe is not a friendly place.”
The clone got up, offering his hand. Alex shook it without hesitation.
“Thank you for finding a way out of the recent situation. I will ask the management to reward your crew, especially you and Janet Ruello.”
“I apologize for disturbing your sleep.”
When C-the-Third left, Alex thought for a moment and refilled his glass. The accident—the near-accident! he corrected himself—had now been explained. Such passions raging in the peaceful tourism business! Well, where didn’t you find them? Even street sweepers and sewer workers must have their own raging passions, hidden from the rest of the world.
Alex imagined a broad-shouldered, squat, long-armed street sweeper-spesh, creeping stealthily in the middle of the night. Reaching into his belly pouch, taking out some litter he’d gathered the day before, and spreading it around someone else’s lot. Laughing quietly, straining his genetically-weakened vocal cords, heading back home, relishing his revenge… But, no! That was nonsense—a street sweeper-spesh was incapable of littering. A natural could do it easily, though…
The door beeped again.
“Open.”
For some reason, he had been expecting a small provocation from Kim. She could arrive wearing only her skimpy PJ’s, for instance, or even wearing nothing at all. Or something she had bought back on Quicksilver Pit—her black-and-silver pantsuit, which showed off her trim figure—or a semi-transparent evening gown…
Alex underestimated her, as it turned out.
Kim wore a simple white dress and sandals. A small black chiffon scarf was tied around her throat.
It was the same provocation, only much more sophisticated. A sweet schoolgirl, freshly dressed for the prom. An element of every adult male’s erotic fantasies.
“Kim…” said Alex softly.
“I totally understand.” Kim sat down on the floor at his feet and gave him a heartrending, beseeching smile. “You’re tired. Don’t send me away, okay? Just don’t send me away… Let me sit here with you for a little while?”
“Kim…” Alex lifted her off the floor, sat her down on his lap. “You’re making a mistake, kid….”
“A mistake?”
“It’s a mistake to have a crush on me.”
Kim frowned slightly.
“Whatever gave you that idea? I’m just very grateful to you, that’s all…”
“You’re welcome.”
“Besides, we are still husband and wife… for the next eight hours.”
Alex kissed her soft lips. Whispered:
“Kim, it will only make things worse, trust me.…”
“As your wife, I have a right to demand that you perform your husbandly duties.” She gave him a strict, serious look. “I insist!”
Her eyes were ardent, demanding. The eyes of a hetaera-spesh. A hetaera in love.
“I can’t deny my duties,” said Alex. His kiss stopped her from saying anything in reply. He lifted the girl up into his arms and, still kissing, took her over to the bed. He lay down next to her and started taking off her dress, all the while returning her urgent kisses. Kim’s hands slid down his torso and unbuttoned his pants. For a second, she freed her lips from his and whispered hotly and earnestly, as if swearing an oath:
“If anyone interrupts us now, I’ll kill them!”
Alex glanced at her body—her slender, perfect figure, her tousled hair, her fingers flexing in anticipated ecstasy.
“Agreed… We’ll kill them together.”
After all, he had been deprived of decent sex for almost five months, and the dreary virtual sex imitator at the hospital contained only the programs that bored Alex even back in his puberty days.
“Alex…”
Maybe promising to kill was a mistake. She was, after all, a strange hybrid of fighter and hetaera. Quite possibly, violence excited her as much as sex did. She pounced upon him with a passion he hadn’t seen even in the most experienced professionals.
“I’ll do anything you wish, anything,” she whispered, helping him undress. “Anything. Just love me, you’ll see, no one will ever love you like me, no one… only love me…”
Alex kissed her again without answering.
Sex with her was really wonderful. Alex had never much cared for hetaeras, who were specialized to look like nymphets, but this was something different. He couldn’t help feeling that Kim would be just as seductive in the full glory of womanhood, and in later maturity, and even in old age. Possibly she had been pre-programmed for delayed aging, giving her almost a century of youth. But it was also possible that she would age the way ordinary women did. In any case, the sexual charge emanating from her seemed endless. Alex took her four times in a row. Every time, she had an orgasm. But it seemed she could keep going the whole night and the following day, and never get bored.
She rested for just a few minutes—Alex felt her rapid kisses on his body, and her hot lips, and her quick slender fingers. He opened his eyes and whispered:
“Kim… I’ll pass this time…”
She laughed quietly, pressing against him with the same passionate readiness.
“Was it good for you?”
“Yes, Kim. It was great. Thank you…” He lightly kissed the tip of her nose. “You’re wonderful. I’ve never met anyone like you.”
Kim smiled proudly. But her smile quickly faded.
“Alex…”
“Yes?”
“You know… something’s not right.”
She sat up on the bed, wrapping herself in a thin blanket. She looked suspiciously at Alex.
“Tell me, are you really attracted to me?”
“You couldn’t tell?”
This time, her smile was even more evanescent.
“Alex… well, something’s wrong! You don’t… love me?”
It would be nice to get some sleep now, and not start this senseless discussion…
“No, I don’t.”
“Not at all?” she pressed.
“Not at all, baby.”
“But why?” She tossed her hair back. “You think I’m a sex maniac? I’m not! I won’t ever say a word to you about it, if that’s what you want. I just saw that that’s what you needed.”
“Kim, I’m a pilot-spesh.”
“So what?”
“Damn it, Kim. My ability to love is removed. Artificially removed.”
Her features froze. Then came a sheepish little smile. “Alex… you’re kidding, right?”
“Nope. It’s true, baby. I’m incapable of love. Anything but that.”
“How can… love be removed?” Kim’s voice quivered. “It’s like breathing… walking… thinking… Alex! You’re pulling my leg! You’re joking, right?”
“Kim, I’m telling you the truth. It is common knowledge that pilots, detectives, and tax collectors are genetically modified to be incapable of love.”
“Why?! Why pilots?!”
“We have a feeling of confluence with the ship, Kim. It must be… well, it’s probably something like love. It’s like with the hyper-channel, you know. There cannot be more than one hyper-channel in the galaxy. Same with love. Either you can love people, or you can have confluence with the ship.”
“And you chose a chunk of metal?”
“The ship is not a chunk of metal, Kim,” said Alex quietly. “It’s alive, though not sentient—it’s a biomechanical organism. And I didn’t choose. None of us chose. No one has figured out how to ask for an embryo’s consent yet.”
“Alex…”
He was expecting an explosive reaction. Was ready to face it. Ready to have Kim punch him, if her fighter instincts took hold of her. Ready to see her run away in tears.