Skylar's Guardians (16 page)

“Yes. Effy, have you completed the task yet?”

“Yes, Master Tralec. The room is prepared.”

“How could she do anything? It’s only been a couple of minutes since you told her to look in the manuals.”

“It’s an older unit and tends to take some time. I apologize.”

“Did you actually think that was slow? Are you nuts?” Skylar stared, goggle-eyed.

“Well, yes. A newer unit would have anticipated the need and been prepared before we asked. The reason we have kept this unit is because Troy knows its circuits in and out and does not want to learn a new program. Let’s go see your room.”

“I’m afraid to see what she did to it,” Skylar said, looking behind her with the feeling she was being watched. “She gives me the creeps.”

“You have nothing to worry about, darling. Are you having a problem with the stairs?”

“It’s like climbing over a wall for me! Seriously, how…? Oh,” Skylar said as he easily lifted her into his arms and bounded up the staircase, which consisted of steps that were nearly a yard high.

“Stay off the stairs. I don’t want you to fall and hurt yourself. I will get a gate and…”

“Are you seriously thinking of putting a safety gate up for me? Holy shit, Tralec, I am not a baby!”

“No, you are a little girl who is going across my knee for a spanking,” Tralec stated, plopping on the top step and draping Skylar across his thighs. “It is time we took care of some things.”

“Why? No!!” she yelped as her dress was lifted to her waist and the tights were pulled down past her thighs. Her new panties, designed from one of Miss Barbie’s outfits, followed, leaving her bare bottom at his disposal. Tralec lifted his hand, smacking down smartly upon the pale flesh of her cheeks, making her squeal in objection.

“I owed you for the sarcastic comment of ‘Daddy dearest,’ plus promised you a spanking if you either swore again or forgot to call me Daddy.”

“Oww, I’m sorry! Lemme goooo!” Skylar begged, trying to push away from him as she kicked her legs. The sound of his hand rhythmically slapping her bare flesh echoed off the tall walls, accented by occasional squeals of protest. She felt her bottom stinging sharply as he repeatedly smacked her jiggling flesh and turned it to a rosy shade of pink.

“Are we going to work on this attitude, young lady?”

“Yes, Daddy,” Skylar pouted, huffing every time his hand fell. She was either growing used to these spankings or he was not trying to hurt her. She strongly suspected it to be the latter.

“Good, now behave,” he commanded, swatting her two more times before standing her up next to him. Skylar wrinkled her nose as he pulled up the panties, adjusted the tights, and smoothed the dress over her hips. He held her in place and looked into her eyes. “I am starting to enjoy this spanking activity, so do not give me reason to practice it if you don’t care for it.”

“There are more intimate ways to spank—ones that don’t hurt. You should practice those,” Skylar muttered, her lower lip still jutting out as she rubbed her stinging posterior.

“That spanking did not hurt you and you know it.”

“Did too.”

“Then why aren’t you leaking? Yes, once again, you are—what do you say—busted?”

“Humpf,” Skylar grunted, following him down the long hall and through a tall doorway on the right.

“This will be your room. Effy did a very nice job, didn’t she?”

Skylar simply stared. The room alone was at least three times the size of the trailer she had been living in and shaped in a quarter of a circle. Everything was white, except for multiple frilly pink accents throughout. A thick, white carpet covered the floor, with furnishings that appeared to rise out of the floor. A window ran along the entire length of the curved wall and was covered by white fabric scales.

“This is… Wow. Thanks, Effy!” Skylar called to the ceiling. “I need stepstools for everything, though.”

A buzzing sound made her turn her head. “Holy sh… cow!” Skylar exclaimed as a small stepladder appeared next to the bed.

“Later, Troy will work in providing furnishings more appropriate for your size. Some of these regular ones we will keep in here, though. These chairs would be very good for us to hold you in.” He pointed to a rocking chair in the corner. “Plus, we need something to sit upon if we are to bring you up here to discipline you.”

“You are turning into a sadistic butthead, and I don’t like it. Get your mind off spanking my ass, okay?”

“I enjoy thinking about your ass. I also enjoy touching it, among other things,” Tralec grinned.

“Lucky me. I get stuck with two horny aliens,” Skylar sighed. “Can I see out that window?”

“Place your hand on the plate and use your mind to imagine the window covering lifting.”

Skylar squeezed her eyes shut, trying to visualize the window opening. “Why isn’t this working?” she asked with frustration.

“Try again. It takes practice.”

After several minutes of failed attempts, Skylar gave up and sat on the floor with her arms crossed. Her face was pulled into a large, unhappy frown.

“You look like a human child right now. All you need to do is to put your hair in those ponytails on your head.”

“Don’t make fun of me,” she pouted.

“I’m not. I actually am finding you very appealing like this. You seem more vulnerable, and that makes me feel more protective. I definitely think we should encourage this type of behavior from you.”

“I am not going to be a doll for you two to play with.”

“Ahh, you will be what we desire you to be. And I know you will enjoy it, despite your objections.”

“I want the window open.” Skylar opted to change the subject, refusing to admit that he was correct.

“Maybe if you watch it being opened, that can help you. Here goes.”

“Wow…” Skylar scrambled to her feet to look outside. The glass filtered the blazing sun, allowing a soft pink hue to drift into the white room. They were on a topmost floor of the tall building, overlooking miles of countryside. A city was seen far in the distance.

“Pretty, isn’t it? This time of day is equivalent to Earth’s midnight.”

“Unbelievable. It is so bright that it’s almost blinding! I have never seen so many colors in one place, either. Are those flowers?”

“All our vegetation is strongly pigmented. The primary pigment is blue, but the hues vary. The flora is also very thick and covered with scales, protecting it from being burned by the star.”

“The land looks like it is shifting.” Skylar stared in fascination.

“It is. The vegetation is not rooted to the ground and will migrate as needed to find nutrients. Most of the larger plants move during the moon-cycle. The ones you see moving at this time are seeking shade and protection from the star. This is why we never use trees as landmarks for navigation.”

“Are there wild animals out there?”

“Yes, many. That section of land,” he pointed to an area of mountain ranges, “is a wildlife preserve and research facility. It houses the largest variety of wildlife on the planet. Over there is Cienna, our capital.”

“It looks like that city out of the old Superman movie,” Skylar observed, pressing her face against the glass. The white spirals stretched into the pink-tinged sky, with speckles of dark windows accenting the architecture. “It is so sci-fi. Wow. What are those?”

“Vehicles. They are capable of traveling in air, land, or water.”

“They look like jellybeans. Do you have people living all over the planet?”

“Not any longer. Many areas were destroyed centuries ago when we were less disciplined. There was a great war that nearly annihilated our world. Changes were made to keep our people alive and rebuild our planet. This area is where we all populate.”

“Is that why your sun is so messed up? We have problems with our ozone layer and pollution, and it’s hurting our world too.”

“Exactly. We deduced that the strong emotions and selfish intents were the prime cause of our destruction. Wars plagued every continent, and governments released weapons similar to those you call nuclear bombs. The radiation prevented the survivors from reproducing, so they developed a synthesized egg bank and sought to perfect cloning and DNA alteration.”

“They made what they thought were ideal people?” Skylar frowned.

“Yes. The early creators learned and corrected cloning techniques, developing a race of beings that are virtually disease free, controlled, and have purpose.”

“They grew a bunch of living robots because they were too afraid to work on their own weaknesses,” Skylar said with disapproval. “Can’t you see it’s wrong to grow a society of people who aren’t allowed to think for themselves?”

“Honey, remember that one of our societal rules is to not be judgmental or force your own beliefs on anyone. We all have individual thought and choices, but we govern our decisions based on being considerate of others, rather than being self-serving. This works for us.”

“You don’t even have music or anything else that is purely for recreation, except sex. How is that quality of life? What do you consider pleasure?”

“We don’t have men who beat the hell out of women and leave them to die, either. We view pleasure as being free from bodily pain and social conflict, and we strive to excel in areas in which we best perform, instead of struggling to obtain that which we cannot.”

Skylar sighed, nodding. “Point taken. But there is more to living than just work.”

“We take pleasure in our work. It brings us satisfaction.”

“But there is so much beauty that you people are missing out on. Will I still be allowed to see things through my eyes?”

“What do you mean?”

“I just don’t want to leave behind the things that give me pleasure, like music and art. Will your council expect me to act like you guys?”

“No one will expect you to deny what brings you pleasure, as long as it does not cause harm to anyone else. As for the council, they will have no expectations upon your behavior, but there will likely be some conflict as they learn to adjust to you. Just spare them your temper if you can.”

“I’ll try. Maybe your art is just different from mine. I mean, the way your buildings are made and the car-thingies. They are like functional art,” Skylar contemplated.

“Aesthetics are defined differently by a culture and are as individual as those who partake. It is the same for emotions. We cannot label something as an absolute if individuals are involved. That is why we try to be slow to draw conclusions when we don’t understand something.” Tralec stifled a yawn.

“You’re tired.” Skylar put her hands on his knee and leaned her chin against them as she looked up at his seated form. “Are you going to get some sleep?”

“I need to. We have to present to the council on moon-break, which is equivalent to a morning on Earth. My room is down the hall at the end. Troy’s is on the opposite side. Do not go near those stairs without us. You will break your neck if you fall.”

“No, I won’t.”

“Don’t argue. If you need anything, come get one of us. You can also ask Effy for help. Her biodrone form can bring you anything you might need.”

“Can I lie down with you?” Skylar asked, feeling a twinge of loneliness as he stood to leave.

Tralec touched her cheek gently. “Not right now. I need to rest without my tool keeping me awake. Try to get some sleep yourself, or work on your studies.”

“I would rather snuggle with you.”

“See if Troy wants company. But if he says no, don’t push him.”

Skylar nodded, wrapping her arms around his neck as she kissed him affectionately. She waved as she trotted down the other end of the hall to Troy’s room and knocked on the door.

“Enter,” he called. Skylar walked inside and froze mid-step. A woman was straddled across his hips and leaning on his stomach as she massaged the thick muscles of his chest and upper arms. “Hello, baby, how is… Skylar? Skylar!” he called as she ran out.

Tears dripped down her face as she climbed down the steep stairs, slipping twice on an edge and scraping the back of her right thigh.

“Skylar! Get back here, you little imp,” she heard Troy call as she scurried into the common area and slid under a chair, pressing the back of her forearm against her mouth to muffle her cries. She could see his slippered feet next to the chair and gulped as he kneeled down to smile at her.

“Are you playing that human game, seek and hide?”

“It’s hide and seek, you moron. Get your words right before you use them,” she said bitterly.

Troy’s smile disappeared, replaced by confusion. “Why are you leaking, baby? Did you hurt yourself?”

“Leave me alone. I don’t want to talk to you.”

“Skylar, come out of there. Something is wrong, and I don’t understand. Please?”

Skylar could not refuse the sound of pleading in his warm, deep voice. She crawled out, her eyes and nose red from crying, and her hand over the area of her thigh that she had scraped.

Troy was sitting cross-legged on the thick carpet and held his arms out for her. “Come here. Tell Papa what is hurting you.”

She hesitated, confused by the nurturing gentleness he displayed. But then, he did look at her as nothing more than a pet. He tilted his head and stretched out his hand. Skylar took it and allowed him to nestle her onto his lap.

“Talk to me. You look sick.”

“I look sad. This is what we useless humans look like when someone hurts us.”

Troy began to flush, the blue rising quickly. “Who hurt you? Tell me now!”

“You did.”

Silence filled the room. It was interrupted by the woman. “Do you have further need of my service?”

“No, we are finished. You may go,” Troy dismissed her.

Skylar stared at the woman’s back as she left the room, then turned to him. “Are you kidding me? It is bad enough I come in and see you fucking that chick, but then you treat her like she is a piece of trash.” She slammed her little fist into his shoulder, glaring at the look of shock on his face as she tried to push away from his embrace. “You are un-fucking-believable!”

“What is all this noise?” Tralec demanded from the top of the stairs. “Your screaming will wake every person in this building.”

“He was screwing a woman and acted like it wouldn’t matter to me, and then he threw her out of here like she was a whore!” Skylar sobbed, breaking free of Troy and running to Tralec when he arrived at the bottom of the stairs.