Skylar's Guardians (17 page)

He lifted her up and pressed her face to his shoulder. “What happened?”

“I don’t know. Effy was eliminating a spasm from my shoulder muscles, and Skylar came in. Next thing I knew, she was down here, hiding under the chair and leaking…”

“Crying,” Tralec corrected.

“Crying her heart out. She said I hurt her, but the only injury I see is that scrape to the back of her upper thigh from where she slipped on the stairs.”

“You went down those stairs after I expressively forbade you to?” Tralec questioned, his voice rising.

“I don’t think the stairs are the issue right now, brother. She has that empty sound. Please, Skylar, tell me what I did to hurt you. I do not understand.”

“You were with that woman and…”

“Didn’t you hear me? That is Effy’s biodrone form. I had her working on my shoulders after I got finished with her repair. The muscles always seize up when I have to squeeze into the computer cabinet. We were not connecting, baby,” Troy said gently. “My tool has no desire for another.”

“That was your robot?”

“Biodrone.”

“It looks so real. Why is it a female?” Skylar demanded.

“That is what we purchased several years ago. The unit maintains this residence and provides for our physical needs,” Troy explained.

“What he means is the unit performs manual tasks that the synthesizer cannot. Things like putting away clothing, making beds, cleaning…” Tralec clarified.

“I can do that stuff too. I like to clean,” Skylar sniffed.

Troy cleared his throat, glancing at Tralec. “I mean you no offense, and it is said before my brother who witnessed what I am about to question. We saw the state of that shelter you were living in. Is that how humans habitually maintain their living environment?”

Skylar hid her face in Tralec’s neck, embarrassed as she remembered the filthy trailer. She also knew from their training that she had just been rebuked. It was humiliating, being called a slob in such a nice way.

“You are required to respond to a formal inquiry, Skylar,” Tralec said gently.

“No, it isn’t. At least, not for me. I just gave up doing anything because he, Paul, would get angry if I touched anything and would hit me.”

Tralec carried her to the large couch, sat down, and sat her on his lap. He began to push her across his knee, at which she began to yell out vehemently. “Relax, you are not going to be spanked. I just want to see your injuries.”

He ordered supplies from Effy, picking up the cleansing solution and cloth from the table as it materialized before him. Gently, he dabbed the scrape clean with his right hand, all the while cupping the cheeks of her bottom with his left.

“Go back to bed, Troy. You are about to fall down. That is an order,” Tralec commanded with concern.

Troy kissed the back of Skylar’s head before he left. “You don’t ever have to knock. My bed is yours, and I will not bring another into it. I promise. I am sorry I injured you.”

“I’m sorry I got jealous and jumped to conclusions. Daddy warned me to be careful about doing that.”

“We are well with each other, darling. I do need to sleep now, though. You are welcome to join me if you desire. Just come inside my room,” Troy said before bounding up the stairs and returning to his bed.

“Daddy also told you to stay off those stairs,” Tralec reminded Skylar after Troy had left. “Am I going to get an apology after being disobeyed?”

“Yes, sir,” Skylar said, twisting to look at him. “After you spank me.”

Chapter Eleven

“Spank you?”

“Yes, spank me. But not to punish this time,” Skylar purred, wiggling her bottom against his hand.

“You humans are such an odd species,” Tralec observed. “Please explain why one minute you are yelling for me not to spank you and the next minute you demand it. Moreover, you failed to follow the instructions I issued about those stairs and ended up hurting yourself. Why would I not punish you?”

“Here’s the deal.” Skylar tried to sit up but was restrained by his hand on her back. “I need to know that you care, okay? That both of you care. That sometimes means giving me what I deserve whether you want to or not. I need consistency to believe that you are really committed to me. I left my world to be with you…”

“You had little reason to stay.”

“That is beside the point. I am here now and really scared and alone in these feelings that you guys don’t understand. So right now, I need attention and some sort of affection. That was why I wanted to lie down with you, but you wouldn’t let me. You can either give it to me, or I will not be a pleasant person to live with.”

Tralec’s hand tightened around the swell of her backside. “That sounded like a threat, young lady. I don’t hold kindly to threats.”

“Oh, it was not a threat. It was a promise. Now either let me go or make love to me,” Skylar demanded.

“I do not feel like connecting with you right now, Skylar. I am too tired for this and, frankly, this disposition is not very attractive,” he growled, pushing her off his lap and standing. “It is vital that you learn to accept our limits, just as we must learn to accept yours.”

“Seriously? I catch Troy fucking his robot and…”

“He was not ‘fucking’ a robot. Our people do not exist with jealousy, Skylar. If you are to live peacefully in our home, you must learn to control it.”

“I don’t know how to control it!” Skylar yelled. “It is who I am!”

“No, sweetheart,” Tralec said gently, his face registering exhaustion as he tried to reason with her. “You are not identified with a feeling or a behavior. Those are just ways to express yourself.”

“Whatever.”

Tralec leaned down to kiss her. “I am taking you back to your room. If you do not wish to sleep, then I want you to either work on the assignment I gave you or practice the plates.”

“Other than opening the window, what plates are there?” Skylar asked as he carried her up the stairs.

“Explore the room and experiment. You can’t hurt yourself or anything around you.”

“But…”

“Behave. I am going to sleep now. I become very unpleasant myself if I do not rest properly.”

Skylar wrinkled her nose as the door slid closed behind him. She eyed a black plate resting on a raised platform next to a cushioned bench and grinned. She climbed onto the bench and leaned across the arm of the bench, placing her hand flat down on the dark, mirror-like glass. She took in a deep breath and relaxed her mind, focusing on the mental image of an object—its shape, size, material, color. Once again, nothing occurred. Snarling, she stared around the large room until her eye fell upon her old electronic reader—the one that held the ‘manuals.’

“Effy, can you charge this so I can activate it?” she called out hesitantly.

“Charge is complete,” the female voice responded.

Skylar grunted. The damn robot still had a snotty tone in its voice. “Is there a way to access all the downloads and data I have ever viewed on this device?”

“Yes, Miss Skylar.”

Miss? Interesting term to use since the machine had first referred to her as Mistress. The damn thing was definitely thinking for itself, despite what Troy said. “I want all of this information available, including the data that the boys pulled up from our Internet while visiting my planet.”

“You do not have access to this information.”

“I did not ask you. I told you.”

“You do not have access to this information.”

I swear, it sounds like it is gritting its teeth!
Skylar thought. “Does this command contradict any orders set by Tralec or Troy?”

“No, Miss Skylar.”

“Does this command put my health or safety at risk, or conflict with the rules of your society?”

“No, Miss Skylar.”

“Then stop giving me bullshit and obey my command.”

“You do not have access granted to these files.”

“You and I are going to have a lot of problems, robot. I am here to stay, like it or not. I have connected with your masters and own their bodies now. You do not. You are a disposable commodity and… motherfucker!” Skylar hissed as all the lights shut down in her room. She went to leave, finding the door had been locked as well. “You wait, bitch. The game is on!”

* * *

Skylar’s mood had grown fouler by the time both Tralec and Troy came in to get her.

“Did you sleep?” Troy asked, scooping her up onto his lap and hugging her.

“I was too pissed. Did you notice that my door was locked and the lights shut down? Your goddamn robot held me hostage. It refused to give me access to Internet files too. I was trying to practice the plate and needed better ways to imagine things.”

“That is odd,” Tralec frowned, sitting next to them on the bed. “What did you want to synthesize?”

“A vibrator. I was horny and you two were wimping out on me.”

“A vibrator? What is that?” Troy asked.

“It is the primitive version of a biodrone. A self-operated penis substitute that brings sexual pleasure,” Skylar answered boldly.

“I would be interested in seeing one of those. Effy! Why did you refuse access to Skylar?”

“It does not require access for survival, Master Troy.”

“How the hell do you determine what I need and don’t?” Skylar snapped.

“Let us handle this,” Troy said. “Effy, did you consider Skylar’s request to be potentially dangerous or damaging to either herself or others?”

The computer did not respond.

“Sounds to me like your damn robot needs a spanking more than I ever did,” Skylar grumbled.

“There is something definitely amiss. We don’t have time for that now, though. We need to get dressed and present to the council,” Tralec sighed. “Effy, please prepare a meal for us and set clothing for a casual meeting to our cleansing rooms.”

“Yes, Master Tralec.”

“It is going to try to poison me. Just watch.”

“You are giving the unit too much credit for independent thought, honey,” Troy said. “Are you still angry with me?”

“No, I am over it. I am pissed with that thing now.”

“Ease up, little one. Papa needs some loving from you,” Troy said, covering her neck with gentle kisses.

“Mmmm…” Skylar purred, stretching her neck for him.

Tralec cleared his throat. “As much as I would like to encourage this and even join in, we have business to attend to. We will have plenty of time to connect later. We have a little over one week of leave given to recover from our trip and help you adjust. Let’s get dressed and then go downstairs to eat. The idea of a solid meal is very appealing to me right now.”

“I am gonna miss the canisters,” Troy sighed.

“I’m sure you are.” Tralec shuddered with disgust.

“I think they are delicious,” Skylar piped in. “I could drink that stuff all day, especially if it’s half frozen. It tastes like a milkshake.”

“Humans are definitely an odd species. I will help you dress and take you downstairs,” Tralec announced, taking her from Troy’s warm arms like she was a toddler. He brought her into the cleansing room and showed her how to operate the toilet as he made a bath for her. After settling her in, he excused himself to dress.

Skylar sat in the tub, chin resting on her hands as she contemplated a way to rid them of the biodrone. She yelped as the solution became icy cold, and she jumped out of the unit, shivering.
That’s it! I will personally disassemble the metal bitch!

The body dryer would not turn on and no towels existed, so Skylar grabbed the bag of clothing and reentered her room, using her bed blanket to dry off with. She snarled as, once again, her lights were shut off and the door locked. The machine was determined to make her miserable!

“Skylar? Why is your door locked? Open it, please,” Tralec called.

“I wish I could, but your stupid robot is playing games. It also shut off all my lights, poured ice water into the bath, and locked down the body dryer to make me freeze.”

“Effy! This door is not to be locked again! Open it!”

Tralec stormed in as all the lights flickered back on. He was flushing as he saw Skylar trembling with cold. “Effy, you are to make Skylar comfortable according to her needs. Understood? Turn up the heat in here.”

“This unit is unaware of the needs for this species.”

“Oh, my God! Can you hear how snarky it is, Daddy? Plus, it’s lying! You had it review all my books, and it has access to our entire Internet data banks. It knows exactly what we need.”

Tralec said nothing, his flush growing darker as he considered her words. He reached into the clothing bag and broke into a smile. “At least Effy chose appropriate clothing for you. Isn’t this cute?”

“I won’t be caught dead wearing that in public.”

“Wanna bet? I like it very much. Arms up, little girl.”

* * *

Skylar kicked at the table restlessly, glaring at Troy’s amused expression. It was bad enough that she was being forced to wear a short, frilly pink dress, complete with ankle socks and slip-on shoes, but she had also fought a losing battle with Tralec about her hair, which was now strung up in two high ponytails.

“Are you angry with the table, little one?” Troy asked, slipping a brown slab onto her plate.

“I feel like an idiot. I am not a baby doll or your toy. What is this?” Skylar looked at the food distastefully.

“Meal portions. They are not as flavorful as the canister, but nourishing.”

“I am not eating anything that looks like a piece of shoe leather. Why can’t we synthesize my food from all our samples?”

Troy looked at Tralec before answering. “It seems that Effy managed to place that information somewhere that we can’t access. Until I have time to fix the problem with this machine, we have to make do. Now eat.”

“No.”

“Take a bite and try it, Skylar. Don’t make me lose my patience. You are already too thin to be healthy,” Tralec ordered.

“I am not eating that shit. I don’t care what you say.”

“I am not in the mood for this,” Tralec announced, slapping his hand on the table before standing. He pointed his finger in Skylar’s face. “Do as you are told and try it. If it is distasteful, I will prepare a canister for you.”