The Man In The Machine Read online

  Eventually, he had built a tower to the ceiling, and he smiled.

  "And that's how you do it."

  "Wow!" Aisling gasped, looking at the tower that stretched all the way up to the ceiling of her room. "It's so tall!"

  "We should knock it over." Dean grinned. "And smash it."

  "No!" Aisling stepped in front of him, stretching out her arms. "We gotta keep it like this!"

  "But that's boring." Dean groaned, lolling his head back. "We can rebuild it."

  Nych sighed, chuckling as he ran a hand through his hair. "You guys really are polar opposites, you know that? It's kind of hilarious." He left the room, allowing the children to do their own bickering, as he walked out into the kitchen.

  "This will be my first time eating in a robotic body." Nych said, laughing slightly. "I wonder how that'll go down."

  Willow had told him that he would be able to eat just like he used to, but it would still be strange.

  "Everything should function as normal." Willow looked over at him and rested her head on one hand. "If you want any adjustments done to your body, just let me know. It's not very hard to fix things, and I made it that way so there was room for improvement or changes in the future." She stood up, walking over and putting the kettle on as she pulled a mug down from the cupboard. "Thank you all for looking after Aisling, by the way."

  She was glad her daughter was happy.

  "She really likes having you all around." She cast a glance at everyone over her shoulder as she pulled a tea bag from a box sitting on the counter.

  "It's no problem. Still a bit shocked you had a kid and didn't call me." Blake said teasingly, swirling around in the spinning chair at the desk in the living room. "Figured that would've been noteworthy news."

  Eventually, the food arrived, and everything was distributed accordingly.

  Everyone dug in immediately besides Nych, looking down in apprehension.

  He then took one big bite of his orange chicken, and began the exploration of his robotic digestive system.

  "Aisling!" Willow called her daughter into the kitchen, and the child came running. She dished some of the food out onto a plate for Aisling, and she ran over to the table to sit down with everyone and dig into the food. Willow joined everyone soon afterwards, popping a piece of sweet and sour chicken into her mouth and looking over at Nych as he started eating. "… So?" She raised an eyebrow. "Does it work okay? Are the taste receptors functioning?"

  "What are taste receptors?" Aisling asked.

  "They let Nych taste things." Terry replied, holding a forkful of rice.

  Nych nodded, savoring the food as it slid down his metal throat. He didn't feel hunger, but… He definitely loved the taste. Eating food, however, made him wonder just where he got his energy.

  "How am I powered?" He asked Willow, once everyone was sat down at the table.

  "I don't assume I just run forever. Do I charge somewhere, or…?"

  It was a bit of an awkward question.

  "There are multiple ways." Willow said. "Solar energy is absorbed through your skin. There's a compartment in your chest that allows you to plug into an electrical source. But honestly… I doubt you'll need to. The equipment for absorbing solar energy I installed is state of the art. As long as you go outside a couple times a week, you should be fine. You'll know you're running out of energy, because if it works correctly, you'll start to feel sleepy."

  Willow really had thought of everything.

  "If you run out of power, it will be similar to sleeping. Your body will shut down until it receives power, and use the remaining energy reserves to keep your brain intact. That remaining power will last for years. Not much is needed to keep that function running." She looked down at her plate, and picked away at her food.

  He smiled, placing a kiss on her cheek with a practiced ease that only came from comfortable couples. "I guess it's a bit of a weird thing to thank you for, but… Thanks for making me so perfect. I owe you the world."

  They all ate well, and saved the rest for lunch the next day. It had been an exhausting day, so they all went to bed a bit early.

  And as Nych laid down next to Willow, wrapping his arms around her, he realized that he'd never felt more at home.

  She'd brought him back, but she'd done more than that. She'd made him into someone he actually wanted to be.

  Second Chances

  Willow woke early in the morning, and sat up with a content sigh as she gazed through the dark window. Nych's arms were still wrapped around her waist, and she looked down at him with unabashed affection. She was really glad he was there. He had brought a light into her life that had seemed to flicker out so many years ago, and she missed having it around. She leaned down and pressed a kiss to his forehead, before carefully sliding out of his arms and standing up.

  She needed to get ready for work. Hence why she was awake at five AM in the morning.

  God, the schedule sucked.

  She stretched with a yawn and wandered off towards the bathroom connected to her room.

  Nych opened his eyes, considering he was pretty much continually conscious, and followed after her. He grinned, closing the door to the bathroom and wrapping his arms around her. He had been starved of affection for fifteen years, he'd take as much as he wanted now.

  "Good morning." He said, pinning her to the sink with his body as he planted kisses along her neck.

  Yeah, he missed this.

  "So when are we leaving?"

  Willow rolled her eyes, grabbing her toothbrush and wetting it down with water as she let him shower her with affection. "In about an hour and a half. I'm going to shower, because taking care of my hair is a nightmare, and then I need to go and bring up all my equipment from my laboratory." She put toothpaste on the bristles and stuck her toothbrush in her mouth to brush her teeth. Once she was finished, she turned around and pressed a kiss to his lips, before she walked over to the closet in the bathroom and pulled out a towel.

  "You can go eat breakfast if you want." She put the towel on the bathroom counter,and looked over at him. "I have cereal downstairs."

  Nych chuckled, looking at the shower with a bit of an odd expression.

  He was a robot. Normally, he would avoid water at all costs. Then again, Willow Grace had designed him, likely with the thought in mind that the two of them would be showering together every now and again.

  "Could I… Am I able to shower?" He asked, his voice holding hints of confusion.

  Willow snorted. "Yes, you can shower. Of course you're waterproof. Do you really think I would create a fully functioning robotic body, and then forget to waterproof it?" She snickered, stepping into the shower and closing the blurred glass doors behind herself as she started to strip down. "It'll take me about an hour to shower and dry off. And we really don't have any time to waste, so… Whatever you want to get done, you should probably do now."

  With that much hair to wash, it wasn't surprising that she would take a while.

  "We can run to the store and get you some things soon." She sighed. "You need more clothing."

  "Alright." Nych replied, reaching into the shower to take her clothes from her. "I’ll go see what there is to do around the house. Don’t take too long."

  He was tempted to ask her if he could get in the shower with her, but he was still a bit nervous. It had, after all, been fifteen years.

  Meanwhile, Blake had just woken up, her hair a mess and a piece of gum from the previous night still in her mouth.

  Score.

  She got up off the couch, stretching out her arms and legs before looking at the time. It wasn't even six o'clock yet. Why was she awake?

  The reason for that became apparent as a knock came at the door. Had the knocking been what woke her up?

  She walked over to the door, practically half asleep, and opened it. The person in front of her immediately shocked her out of her tired state.

  "Octavia?"

  "Blake?" Octavia looked up at her and ran h
er fingers through her hair to pull it back away from her face. "I- Casey gave me this address, said you were staying here." She paused. "My lawyer." She furrowed her brows slightly, looking over at her. "… Did you get Willow to pay for my lawyer? I could've called, but… I kinda wanted to see you in person. Crazy bitch managed to get my bail low enough for me to pay. I'll have to pick up a couple extra shifts in the next week or two, but…"

  She rubbed the back of her neck with one hand. She was a little less cocky now, and seemed genuinely thankful for what Blake had done.

  "… I wanted to thank you. And Willow, if she's here. You… You really saved my ass, there." She sighed, shoving her hands in the pockets of her jeans. "I'm sorry. I know it's really early."

  Blake looked her up and down, taking in the girl in front of her. She had to admit, Octavia looked a hell of a lot better in her current clothes than she did in whatever she was wearing in the police station. Perhaps those had been her pyromaniac clothes.

  "Well, you're here now. Might as well come in for tea or coffee or something." She yawned, holding the door open for her and rubbing the sleep from her own eyes.

  "But yeah, I forced her to get you a good lawyer, and said it was how she could repay me." Blake shrugged, putting the coffee pot on and taking down the kettle. "Coffee or tea?"

  Octavia stepped inside and slipped off her shoes as she looked around the large house. "… You know you didn't have to do that." She frowned slightly as she looked over at Blake. "I would've been fine, even if they decided to slap me with some big charges. Which they didn't, thanks to you. I'm probably just looking at some fines." She sighed, tugging at her tank top anxiously.

  Her current behavior was a stark contrast to how she had been before, but she really wanted to get across to Blake how much it meant to her.

  "Coffee." She said after a moment.

  Blake smirked to herself when she said that. Octavia was her kind of woman.

  She got the kettle down anyway and put it on for Willow, knowing that she had a cup of tea every morning. At least, she had when they'd been roommates. For some reason, she didn't think that it had changed.

  "Yeah, I didn't have to. But I wanted to. I don't know why, I just felt like you shouldn't be locked away for something small like that." She poured water into the back of the coffee maker and put the pot on, allowing it to brew. Then, finally, she turned to look at Octavia.

  "I don't know. Maybe I'm in love with you."

  Octavia stared at her for a moment before she snorted. "Eh. I'm not complaining, you're pretty hot." She sat down at the table, looking up at Blake as she loosened up a little. "I'm kinda curious, actually. You gave me your number, so you have to be at least a little gay." She tilted her head to the side. "So what is it? Lesbian? Bi? Pan?" An easy grin spread across her face, and she blew away a strand of her blue hair.

  "I'm pan, if you wanna know." She shrugged. "As long as they're cute, I don't give a shit."

  Blake looked at her, straight-faced, for a long time.

  Eventually, she let loose a small chuckle, shaking her head. "I'm bi. I used to be a real slut, too. I've sucked more dicks and gone down on more chicks than you could possibly imagine, sister. Damaged goods, right here. Used price, everything must go."

  She pulled the coffee pot out and poured it into two mugs, then pulled cream from the fridge.

  "How do you take it?"

  "Just a little bit of sugar." Octavia replied, watching her craft their drinks. "And does it look like I'm any better? Apparently I'm like kissing a tackle-box." She snickered, sticking her tongue out and pointing to the piercing in the middle of it. She rested her head on one hand, sighing. "Honestly, anyone who cares about that shit isn't worth my time. I'm not here to listen to some frat boy pout about how much of a slut I am."

  Blake liked her.

  She had good viewpoints. She was straight to the point, and had enough gall to walk into her house and ask for coffee without cream. She shrugged, finishing their drinks and handing hers over.

  "I, personally, have kissed many a tackle box in my day. They're the most fun, and the most wild in bed."

  She winked, taking a sip of the steaming hot beverage.

  It was summer, but damn a hot cup of coffee was good.

  Octavia snickered, cupping her mug in both hands as she looked towards Blake. "Really? How interesting. You should do a study on it, perhaps. I'm sure I could help contribute. You don't even have to pay me, either." She winked, and tilted her head to the side.

  After a second, she paused.

  "… Wait, so if Willow rebuilt that guy you stole the brain from, does that mean he's here?" She quirked an eyebrow. "Bitch, if you lied to me I'm going to whoop your ass. I was just starting to like you." She snickered, pointing a finger at Blake.

  "Yeah, I am. Blake, who's this?"

  Blake grinned into her coffee. Nych had the best timing.

  "Nych, this is Octavia. I met her in a prison cell. She blew up some fireworks, so I got Willow to have her lawyer get her out of it. Now she's totally in love with me, and has volunteered to kiss me."

  She looked back to Octavia and smiled once again. "And Octavia… This is iron man."

  "Oh bullshit, he is not… What the fuck, those are some orange eyes." Octavia stared at Nych, before she squinted. "Okay, those have to be contact lenses." She crossed her arms in front of her chest and looked towards Blake. She didn't believe her, which was… Nice. Nych was entirely indistinguishable from an organic human being. She reached for her coffee, blowing on the liquid before taking a sip.

  "A’ight." She set the mug down. "If you're really a dead guy in a robot, prove it."

  She leaned back in her chair, an easy smirk on her face.

  Nych rolled his eyes, glaring. He then looked back to Blake.

  "You bring a stranger who doesn't even believe in who I am. Gotta say, she seems pretty discriminatory, Blake. Really think she's a keeper?"

  Blake chuckled, sipping her coffee once again. "Whatever, you dick. Just show her some robot shit."

  He sighed, then looked back at Octavia.

  And then his eyes began to glow.

  "Yo, what the fuck?" Octavia stood up, stumbling over to him and clasping his face in her hands with innocent fascination. "That's so cool. What the hell?" She tilted his head back and forth, and then released him. "Holy shit, you weren't lying." She looked back at Blake. "That's so wild though… I mean, apart from your eyes, you look totally organic."

  To be fair, putting someone's brain inside of a robot body was still something that only existed in science fiction to most. Nych and Willow would be changing that perception.

  "Do you still do all of the things you did when you were human?" She lacked some tact, but it was good-intentioned curiosity for the most part. "Can you drink?"

  "Yeah, I can drink." He said, chuckling. To prove it, he took Blake's coffee from her hand, which elicited a cry of alarm. He took a long swallow, and then handed it back to a suddenly sour Blake.

  "I can eat, too." He said, wiping the excess coffee from his mouth.

  It was at that moment Willow walked in, and Nych wrapped his arm around her.

  "Hey, honey. This is the criminal Blake met. She seems alright."

  "I- oh?" Willow looked to Nych, and then towards Octavia, who was currently laughing at the upset Blake. She sobered up after she saw Willow walk in, clearing her throat and looking up at her. "Are you Willow Grace?" Octavia asked, her expression becoming a bit more serious in nature.

  "Yes." Willow nodded. "You're… Octavia, right?"

  "Yeah." Octavia nodded. "Listen, uh… Thank you for getting me a lawyer. I really owe you and Blake. I would've been kinda screwed if I had to depend on one of the ones they throw at everyone in our crowded justice system." She sighed. "They would have slapped a lot of heavier shit on me if I had a shitty lawyer."

  Blake sighed, throwing an arm around Octavia as she stood. "Well, she's my responsibility now. I'm taking her on and making
sure she doesn't have to worry about finances. Plus, I like seeing her face when she sees just what kind of genius you are. So…"

  Blake looked to Willow mischievously.

  "Can I borrow your gold machine?"

  Ah. Yeah, that would impress her.

  "Actually, it's mine." Nych muttered, but it was good-naturedly.

  "Gold machine?" Octavia echoed. "And I'm not your baby bird." She scoffed, lightly jabbing Blake in the side with one hand.

  "Uh. Sure?" Willow raised an eyebrow and glanced between the two of them. "I need to go down there and get all my supplies anyways, so you two might as well come with me so I can monitor you while you're in my lab." She sent a pointed look towards Blake, and then gestured for them to follow as she started walking towards the stairs that led to the basement. "You can use it if you help me carry my shit up to my car."

  That was a relatively fair exchange.

  Blake nodded and followed Willow down to her lab, allowing her to pile prostheses in her arms so she could take them up to her car. She knew how much the day meant for Willow, so she was happy to be able to help.

  The car knew Blake, so it opened the back once it sensed her approach. The whole thing still creeped her out, but admittedly it did make life a lot easier.

  "Alright. Everything's loaded." She said to Willow once she placed everything in the back. "Can I use the machine now? I bet Octavia will cry when I give her a chunk of gold."

  It would be sweet. It might also get her laid.

  Both were good.

  Willow gazed at all of the gadgets in the back of her car, making sure nothing would be damaged before she nodded approvingly and closed the hatch. "Alright. Do you remember how to use it, or do I need to go down there and help you?" She raised an eyebrow at Blake. "And you know the rules, too. Don't make too much. Small amounts at a time. You don't want to flood the gold markets and devalue it. That would be bad."

  Bad indeed.

  She tucked her hair behind her ears and sighed. "I hope you're making the right decision with her."

  Blake rolled her eyes. "Yes, mom, I know how to use it." She said it condescendingly, but she wrapped her arms lightly around Willow.