Adam 483: Man or Machine? (3 page)

Her crew always expected to collect any ore they came across. A large part of their pay came from a percentage of the take. She understood their desire for profit but carelessness wrought problems, especially from taking on an inferior load. Less room in their tanks meant less room for a larger profit if they came across a better find. Her earnings weren’t based on a percentage, so she stood in the best position to make an educated decision about each salvage.

This freighter, drifting past the control deck viewers, loomed almost as large as her own. Normally, the abandoned ships they came across were small, with crew quarters of eight or less.

The control deck’s lift door slid open.

Mick Ridgeway jumped from his seat.

Tyree’s hand automatically settled over the knife on her belt. When she saw who stepped out, she waved her hand dismissively. “It’s all right.” She turned and studied Mick’s rapid breathing. “Relax, Ridgeway. That’s Adam 483, the security bot Ambassador Samou put aboard.”

“Security bot? The crew wasn’t informed. And a new assignment hasn’t been logged.”

“You’re informed now, and with barely more notice than I received myself. I’ll post a log entry later.” Ridgeway reseated himself but Tyree noted that he studied Adam from the corner of his eye. She couldn’t blame him. She did the same.

“Do you have the information I asked for, Corporal?”

His gaze shifted back to his monitor. “One moment, Captain.”

Adam strolled around the command deck. Tyree noticed he didn’t touch anything or purposely distract anyone from their duty. One of the female crew couldn’t seem to ignore his presence though. Corporal Ellen Pratt, looking a bit smitten, explained the sensor functions to him as he stood by her station. He simply nodded in response.

Tyree wondered what he, as a bot, thought. If he even had thoughts, or just processed information.

“Completed, and no life forms register, Captain,” Ridgeway reported. He flipped on the intercom. “Attention, crew, prepare for salvage.”

Tyree’s head snapped toward him. “Hold up!” Irritation grated along her spine. She stalked over to the man’s station and, with a sharp snap, shut off the ship-wide channel. “Last I checked, I was still Captain of this vessel, Corporal. When I decide we board for salvage, I will give the order. Do you understand?”

Mick’s eyes narrowed. He didn’t acknowledge or refute her words. The anger in his gaze spoke plainly enough though.

The heat of a body directly behind Tyree drew her attention. Adam. She didn’t need to turn to know he stood there.

“Do you understand, Corporal?” she repeated.

“Yes, Captain,” he said this time.

Somehow she doubted he complied because of her order, especially since his narrow-eyed gaze remained locked behind her the entire time. He’d been just shy of subordination ever since he’d come on board. This was his second mission under her command. A couple of months ago, he’d replaced Lieutenant Samantha Nikor, a close friend of Tyree’s, after the woman had become ill and passed away suddenly.

Tyree felt Adam move away, giving her space. She also noticed Ridgeway visibly relax at the bot’s departure. “What’s the freighter’s atmosphere?”

“Oxygen, nitrogen,” Mick answered, turning back to his panel. “No detectable breaches on any deck. Habitable without life support equipment.”

“Very well. We’ll shuttle over a crew to check things out.”

He abruptly turned back toward her. “Request permission to serve on the team.”

“Denied.” The man took too much for granted. She didn’t trust him. His enthusiasm and constant presence every time she turned around made her nervous. “I’ll go. Hanson, you’ll accompany. And Adam, you’ll come too.”

“You’re taking a robot instead of me?” Ridgeway protested.

“That’s right. You have a problem with my decision?” Even though no life forms were detected on board, it
was
Adam’s job to protect her off-ship. She didn’t feel the need to reiterate that to the crew.

“No, Captain,” Ridgeway answered tightly, his mouth forming a grim line. “No problem.”

Mick wasn’t flying any more missions with her. She’d already put in a request for his transfer. She didn’t like the man or the way he questioned her orders.

The next time he defied her in any way she planned to punch him in the nose and toss him into a detention cell. “Gentlemen, let’s go.”

* * * * *

Adam glanced out the pod’s side porthole. The black freighter they approached looked like a ghost ship in the emptiness of space. He checked his weapon, making sure of a full charge.

The pod descended through the landing port and into the freight’s expansive bay. Smoothly, the capsule set down on the deck.

The engine hummed, vibrating the pod’s interior. The power slowly decreased, then faded into silence. The air lock popped and the hatch opened.

Adam exited the pod first, his laser pistol in hand. Only the pod’s landing lights gave off any brightness, so he switched on his infrared visor and scanned the deck. No organic life forms detected but robots might be aboard and operational. In the immediate area, he picked up no movement or threat. “All clear.”

Tyree exited, followed by Hanson. She secured the hatch and coded the security lock, as regulations dictated. “Before we salvage, I want to know what happened to the crew,” she announced. “Let’s head to their command deck.”

“Aye, Captain,” Hanson agreed, scanning the area around them.

They crossed the bay, keeping watch for any crew members or other signs of life. Adam made sure Tyree stayed between him and Hanson for maximum protection. They entered the lift, which still maintained power, making things easier than climbing levels by hand.

Adam pushed up his visor and discreetly studied Hanson. He wondered about the trustworthiness of the man. He’d already decided Ridgeway was an ass. He didn’t like the way the Corporal’s eyes followed Tyree’s every move.

On the silver panel near the door, Tyree pressed a green button. The lift rose smoothly.

Fully functional. Good. Though he stayed alert for signs of a glitch, just in case.

Moments later, the lift stopped and the door slid open. Adam stepped out first. The command deck sat dark and abandoned. He moved aside. “It’s clear.”

Tyree and Hanson stepped out of the lift, joining him.

“Check the logs, Hanson,” Tyree ordered. She led Adam to an operational panel. “What do you think?”

He looked over the navigation controls and power readings. “Their engines are toast.”

“Toast?”

He inwardly cringed at the casual term. Tyree was a senior officer and not easily deceived. He needed to be more careful in his speech patterns. He would pretend not to notice his mistake. Any other reaction would only further fuel her suspicions of him.

Deep down, she already knew he wasn’t what he pretended. He saw it in her eyes. For some reason, she kept doubting herself though and hadn’t acted on her suspicions. She just continued to question and test him. She was probably looking for solid evidence before she made a definite decision on what to do. He’d take care not to give her any.

“The controls are not even functional enough to prevent drift. This ship is not going anywhere on its own.”

She double-checked the panel readings. “Agreed.” She flipped a few switches. “Overheated, from the looks of the readings. Like they were trying to outrun someone.”

“I’ve pulled up the logs, Captain.”

Tyree moved across the deck. Adam followed.

“They were boarded by a patrol ship. The Commander reported that the security team was searching for someone but no details were entered.”

Adam’s heart rate increased. He shared a glance with Tyree. When her eyes narrowed, he schooled his features. They both knew patrols only stopped vessels when looking for a criminal or Cyborg stowaway. “What does the log say happened to their engines?” he asked, switching his gaze to the data screen.

“It doesn’t say anything about the engines or anything else. That was the last entry. No indication of mechanical trouble noted. Or that they tried to outrun the patrol. Nothing about the crew off-loading either.”

“Strange.”

“I don’t like it.” Tyree glanced from Hanson to him. “Let’s get a salvage crew over here. Get the ore and get out. I’ll file a report with Space Patrol Command. If they want to follow up, they can. That log entry isn’t legitimate. It’s too incomplete. Whoever boarded them wasn’t a patrol team. If they were and arrested the crew, they wouldn’t leave the freighter out here. They’d have hauled it back to impound. If pirates boarded, the ore would be gone and the crew dead. A Sector 6 slaving vessel, I suspect, overpowered them, which would explain the disappearance of the crew and the fact that the ore wasn’t touched. Slavers don’t have the proper storage tanks on their ships for anything other than human or humanoid-type cargo.”

Adam nodded. Tyree was correct. Slaving vessels from the neighboring star sector often ventured into this area of space, looking for easy pickings. They might even still be in the area. He’d stay alert, make sure they got the ore and got out of there, as Tyree ordered. Safely.

* * * * *

Tyree finalized the salvage report and shut down the computer. “We got a good load today,” she told Adam, who stood stationed by the door, back ramrod straight and hands behind his back. His black outfit, with three silver bars on each shoulder, identifying him as security, made him appear even more mysterious and powerful.

“You should let your crew handle the takes on salvages. The ship could be a trap, rigged to blow when boarded.”

She leaned back in her chair and studied him. He had a good point. Normally, she’d think that a bit paranoid but, after being attacked more than once in recent months, perhaps not. “I’m not one to sit around and watch others work. It makes me uncomfortable.”

His hands casually dropped to his sides. “I make you uncomfortable.”

Very perceptive. “That, too.”

“You can trust me more than anyone on this ship.”

“Maybe.” He was programmed to protect her from smugglers and space pirates and anyone else out to harm her. But was she safe from
him
?

He cocked his head. “Would you like to continue the erotic fantasy we started earlier?”

Surprised laughter escaped her. Her heart began to race and she rose from the chair. Earlier, she’d taken a shower to wash off the ore’s grime and dust, and she automatically tightened the belt of her robe—because it was loose or as a protective measure, she wasn’t sure. She’d also taken a short nap before starting her reports and felt revived now, enough to confront him about his actions. “Why are you so intent about sex between us?”

“You need it.”

“Your assignment is not to get me off.”

“Consider it an added perk.”

Too human
, the words echoed in her head. She’d done a bit of research while online. A classified, robotic experiment, funded by her brother, took place a few years ago. No other information was available, but Adam could be a product of that research. She intended to find out his secrets. She chewed at her bottom lip, then released the bit of flesh. Her gaze raked his body, so well put together.

“All right,” she breathed in a barely audible whisper. “Let’s see what you can do.” So much for not getting personal, but it was not as if she’d picked up some stranger from an outpost tavern. He was just a machine, like a glorified vibrator. Besides, he’d been trained to provide the service. And getting up close would give her the perfect opportunity to check him over more thoroughly.

“Booting up erotic fantasy now.”

Booting up? Was that a joke?
She swore a twitch of a smile caught one corner of his mouth. A moment there, but then gone. Like on the other ship, when she’d thought she detected worry on his features.

“I’d like to choose a standard missionary position fantasy.” Not her favorite, but the safest way to go.

“I have chosen the fantasy. You will comply.”

Her mouth fell open. “Excuse me?”

He stepped forward and stopped directly in front of her. “We will continue from earlier. Where were we?”

“Wait, wait, wait…”

His voice lowered to a husky tone. “Quiet, Tyree. I am in control.”

How did he do that with his voice? The tone vibrated right down her body. She shouldn’t be nervous, but suddenly she was. Not fear. When she looked into his eyes, she instinctively knew he wouldn’t harm her. No, this was nervous excitement she felt.

“Ah, I remember.” Adam pulled one side of the robe off her shoulder, as he’d done earlier, only he moved slowly and gently this time. “All day, I have wanted a taste of this.” His head lowered and his tongue flicked at her nipple.

“Oh!” At the moist contact, fire spread throughout her body. He definitely possessed more tongue control than a normal eroti-bot. Her fingers curled around his muscular upper arms. She needed something solid to hang on to. Her legs felt wobbly. “That’s decadent.”

“And just a preview, Tyree.” He squeezed her breast, lifted it and sucked the nipple into his mouth.

The feeling was incredible. Tyree gulped in air as he drew on her flesh. The muscles in her vagina contracted. She
was
going to come from him sucking her, just like he’d said he could do.