Love Code: An AI + Alien romance (Galactic Love Book 2) Page 22

  Aevi perked immediately, smelling the area around the door. “Is that Snaps? The one you said might want to play? Will he show me everything that’s fun? Can he do calculus?”

  Before he could answer, the door ground open, revealing Beryl Bowman. She was a different shade than he remembered, or maybe it was more accurate to say he’d had no real sense of color before. The small fur person frolicked around her feet, his tail lashing furiously as he caught sight of the Pherzul. Aevi stilled, and they smelled the air near one another.

  Beryl tilted her head. “I’m sorry, do you have the right dwelling?”

  It seemed that the message he’d sent from Qalu’s residence never reached them. Either it wasn’t forwarded from the old Kith B’alak habitat or the data was lost on one of multiple transmissions. Such issues did occur when information was sent over long distances, bounced through multiple nodes.

  “I do,” he said quietly. “You see…I’m Helix.”

  Qalu followed Beryl Bowman into a spacious residence.

  Despite the heavy building materials, the place was inviting with external lamps glazing the stone with warmth. Fabric had been placed on the floor to soften it, and currently Aevi was sniffing every inch of it while she circled another quadruped, likely the one who had been yelling before. This one had a pointed face and was covered in hair, no feathers or scales, and it wriggled from head to toe, seeming quite excited to have visitors.

  “I’m Snaps! I’m a dog! Who are you? What are you?”

  “Aevi. I’m a Pherzul. From Tiralan. You smell strange. Where do you come from?”

  “Beryl Bowman’s house!”

  To her eyes, this human didn’t much resemble the other, the one from Volant’s Fabulous Spectacle, but she understood why Helix hadn’t known. She waited politely for an introduction as Helix explained to a startled Beryl how he’d come to his present, much-altered state. He finished with, “This is Qalu, the scientist who saved my life and accompanied me on a series of occasionally terrifying adventures.”

  If she’d hoped for a warmer presentation, she tried not to let it show. There was no reason for him to call her his mate, as they’d done to appease her mothers. “You must be quite startled.”

  “You have no idea. But I’m used to rolling with bizarre new developments. I mean, one minute I’m picking up trash and the next, I’m an alien’s intended. Sometimes I still can’t believe my new normal is fighting monsters on an alien planet.”

  “What type of monsters?” Aevi asked. “Do you need assistance? I’m quite fierce, and my bite is venomous.”

  Beryl bent down, putting herself on eye level with the Pherzul, and Qalu warmed to her immediately for that small kindness. “I’m willing to take you, but Zylar’s on patrol this week, so you’ll need to ask him when he gets back.”

  “Are we…welcome here?” Helix asked, seeming hesitant.

  “Always. I’m sure there’s more to talk about, but I always want to get clean after I’ve been traveling. Let me show you the hygiene facilities and while you’re tidying up, I’ll make something to eat.”

  Helix appeared to be troubled, his posture radiating worry, reinforced by the movement of his head tendrils. “You don’t have a dispenser?”

  “No, we prepare meals the old way.”

  “Is this…my fault?” he asked.

  “Why would you think that? Never mind. Zylar got demoted after Snaps interfered in the Choosing. We barely squeaked an approval and ended up assigned here. But don’t worry, we’re both healthy and happy.” She curled her forelimb, demonstrating some point that Qalu didn’t grasp. “Look, stronger than I’ve ever been! This way, let’s get you settled.”

  The hygiene facilities were unlike any Qalu had ever encountered, but she soon learned how to do the manual washing of her person. Afterward, Aevi pleaded to explore with Snaps, and Beryl seemed to think it was safe, so she permitted it, knowing how much the Pherzul needed to run and climb and feel the sun shining down on her.

  “Come back before Zylar gets home,” Beryl called to Snaps. “And do not leave the settlement. I’m trusting you!”

  “I promise! I’m a dog of my word.”

  “He’s precious,” said Qalu.

  “Your Aevi is delightful.” She showed the bone spurs in her mouth—slightly alarming.

  She’d seen Bojak make the same expression, but Helix whispered, “It’s a friendly facial expression among humans, not a menacing display.”

  She’d known that already, but it was sweet that he was worried about her being frightened. “Understood,” Qalu murmured.

  Soon, Beryl offered them strange food, nothing like Qalu had ever eaten, cut and processed and covered in liquid, but it tasted good. Helix seemed pleased as well, though not on a roast nornroot level of enjoyment. They talked of inconsequential things while she waited for Helix to work up the courage to speak of what truly must be on his mind.

  “Thank you for the food,” he said eventually. “But you must be wondering why I risked returning, all things considered.”

  “Don’t you want to see Zylar? To let him know how you’re doing. It seems less risky to do that in person than to put certain things on the comm.”

  That made sense to Qalu. There were hate groups that would absolutely spring into action and carry on hunting Helix if they realized he was an embodied AI. Thus far, they’d stayed under the notice of such fringe factions, and she’d prefer to remain that way. Otherwise, the quiet life she wished to lead on Tiralan would be forever denied them. But Beryl Bowman was wrong; that was not the primary reason for the visit. She let Helix speak in his own time, however.

  “That is part of it, certainly. I…” He hesitated and Qalu leaned into him, offering her silent support. Grateful, he let his head tendrils brush hers briefly, nothing too illicit since they had company. “I came to make amends. You will say that I apologized before and I did. But…only because I was told that I had erred, not because I truly understood the wrong.”

  “You said it, but you didn’t mean it?” Beryl asked.

  “I did insofar as I was capable. But I lacked the capacity to grasp fully how my actions impacted you. And now…I truly regret making you feel lonely and frightened—without recourse in a strange place. I wanted you to know that.”

  “Thank you. But I’m happy now, happier than I’ve ever been in my life. While I wouldn’t advocate doing that to anyone else, your meddling worked out great for me.” Beryl truly seemed like a gentle, gracious being.

  She marveled over how well Beryl seemed to have adapted to being snatched unceremoniously from her homeworld. If such a thing had happened to Qalu, she suspected she would’ve spent half a cycle trembling, not risen to the various challenges and seized the opportunity to build a whole new life for herself with an unforeseen romantic partner.

  Beside Qalu, Helix eased, leaning into her slightly. They chatted for a bit longer, and then the door opened again. “I hear we have guests?”

  “Snaps told you?” Beryl called back.

  She got up and hurried to greet her mate, nuzzling into him with such eagerness that Qalu looked away. Their love produced pheromones tangible even to Tiralan senses. She followed Helix’s example and rose to offer a traditional Tiralan greeting, slight inclination of body, subtle movement of head tendrils. This must be Zylar. This Barathi looked much like the others she’d encountered as they traveled, though perhaps his colors were a trifle more muted.

  “He said Helix was here?” Zylar glanced between the two unfamiliar Tiralan with obvious puzzlement. “Is he waiting on your ship? Did you bring equipment for me to—?”

  Helix took a step forward. “I’m right here.”

  “Helix?” Zylar whispered. “Is it really you?”

  “Yes.”

  In excitement, Zylar grappled him, and when Qalu might have intervened, Beryl said, “It’s fine. That’s a human tradition I taught him. You do it when you’re happy to see someone.”

  Eventually Qalu figured out t
hat was a variation on a “hug,” roughly commensurate with the comfort of touching another’s chest and playing cadence with their heartbeat. Bojak had been considerably calmer when he grasped her, not that Helix had let that go on for long. It irritated him when others handled her, and she had to admit she didn’t enjoy it either.

  “When I told you to find your own path, I never expected this.” The Barathi stared at Helix, seeming unable to trust his own senses. “How did this happen? I had no idea there had been so many advances in biosynthetic research.”

  Qalu sat quiet while Helix explained the circumstances leading up to his transition and everything that had happened since. He finished with, “I came to express my sincere remorse for what I did to your intended, and to renew our bonds, Zylar. You were my first friend, my only friend, when I was an AI. I existed to serve you and desired your happiness to the point that I broke all known code protocols to facilitate it. Now, I hope we can be more like family, even once we’re separated by great distance.”

  “We should give them some space,” Beryl whispered.

  She followed the other female into another room, allowing Zylar and Helix to catch up in private. It was a sensitive retreat, and in that interlude, they discussed her work, Qalu’s home on Tiralan, her mothers, and Helix’s budding interest in art.

  “This is amazing,” Beryl said eventually. “You had the prototype ready to go, exactly when he needed it, like you were meant to be together.”

  “Yes,” she said, trusting that was true.

  [ 23 ]

  “The universe has a sense of irony,” Zylar said.

  Helix suspected he might know what Zylar meant, but he asked, “In what respect?”

  “After such an elaborate scheme to pair me up with a human—with you pretending to be Tiralan—now you are Tiralan, and you’re the one with a Tiralan mate.”

  His head tendrils quivered over Zylar’s use of the word. Not that he objected to it, but he had not officially confirmed that Qalu wished to make their connection permanent. Certainly, everything she’d said left him optimistic in that regard, but it seemed best to state his feelings outright and hear hers in return. At least, all the research he’d done on the matter indicated that communication was necessary for a relationship to thrive.

  “I hope she will want that,” Helix said stiffly. “Tell me, do you have any advice? How did you win Beryl Bowman?”

  “I have no idea,” Zylar admitted.

  “That is entirely unhelpful.”

  “I felt like I did everything wrong, but somehow it all worked out. Perhaps that’s the secret? With the right person, the pieces simply…fit. Even if it seems like they shouldn’t.”

  “Marginally more useful.”

  Zylar studied him, then churred in amusement. “I still can’t believe you’re here. Physically here. I had no inkling this was even possible.”

  “Qalu is a genius,” Helix said, utterly without shame or subtlety.

  She came in just in time to hear that. “What are you telling your friend?”

  “The truth,” Helix said.

  Beryl joined in and soon, Aevi and Snaps returned from their prowl around the settlement. He was glad to see that the Pherzul hadn’t wandered toward the toxic cloud. So far, he hadn’t seen any of the monsters that lived within that irradiated wasteland, but from what Zylar had said, he and Beryl regularly battled the beasts back, fighting alongside the other citizens who lived in the Barrens.

  “Are you truly happy here?” Helix asked, a bit later, after their hosts had created a place for them to rest in the common room. The accommodations offered no privacy for anyone, but he didn’t plan to stay long enough to trouble Zylar and Beryl. He appreciated Qalu and Aevi tolerating this detour, so he could feel at ease about starting over.

  Zylar didn’t consider long at all. “Yes. It’s not as easy, less luxury than Srila, but I would have gone anywhere, done anything, to remain with my beloved Beryl.”

  “This is why you’re my Chosen,” Beryl said, settling close to Zylar once they put some precautions in place.

  How fascinating—it seemed that they used fabric to cushion her soft flesh against the chitin. Helix realized that it was fortunate he and Qalu shared physiology, though if she had spines or some defense mechanism designed to keep him away, he would persevere until he created some means to work around it. As he listened to them banter and witnessed their contentment with his own eyes, the last of the guilt slipped away.

  “Then…I wish to entreat your blessing on my new life on Tiralan,” Helix said, during the first conversational break. “And to invite you to visit us, should you ever have the desire.”

  “I’d like that.” Beryl answered before Zylar could.

  But he seemed glad enough to endorse her desires, whatever they were. “Indeed. It would be wise for us to travel before we receive approval for our clutch. Once that occurs, I fear we will be occupied for some time.”

  Helix asked, “Will that happen soon?”

  “Not until we earn back some status. It could happen anytime after we’re recalled to Srila. Based on our performance, I would estimate half a cycle.”

  “I like it here,” Beryl said softly.

  “I know. But it’s not a safe place for us to rear our young.”

  “There are lots of interesting smells,” Snaps said. “Right, Aevi?”

  The Pherzul confirmed, “There are. I could smell burning from where weapons were fired, and a blood trail from something that crawled away. It was big, but Snaps wouldn’t let me hunt it down. I’m not sure it’s entirely deceased.”

  “That would be the Buzu I drove off earlier,” Zylar said.

  Helix regarded his old friend with amused curiosity. Before Zylar met Beryl Bowman, he lacked all confidence. He never would have spoken of combat with such casual competence. Truly he seemed to be thriving in the Barrens, well able to adapt to this hostile environment.

  “What’s a Buzu?” Aevi asked.

  Snaps tried to tell her while Zylar was talking, and rather than compete with the two little ones, he presented a holo of a vicious slug with a huge maw that spewed a bilious, acidic liquid. Only terrifying creatures could survive in the toxic wasteland past the border of the Barrens. Privately, he admitted silent curiosity as to what type of gear they used, if it was similar to the suit Zylar had worn when he took Beryl Bowman from her homeworld.

  Qalu leaned forward to inspect the Buzu more thoroughly. “What a fascinating mutation. I believe we saw a similar annelid as part of Volant’s Fabulous Spectacle on Vaadla Station.”

  Beryl had questions about their travels, and they chatted a bit more, relaxed now that the deeply emotional matters were handled. The visit stretched to a couple of spans, but on the third darktide, Helix could tell that Qalu was anxious to get home. For his own part, he craved time alone with her. They’d passed each span curled up together on the makeshift sleep platform, and he couldn’t wait to return to Tiralan. Early, right after he awakened, he booked passage on the next shuttle arriving in the Barrens. When Qalu and Aevi roused, he whispered the news, and Aevi scrambled up to nuzzle her face against his.

  Then she cavorted around the common room, singing, “Home, home, we’re going home!” Until Zylar and Beryl emerged to see what the commotion was.

  “You’re leaving?” Zylar asked.

  “We’ve imposed long enough,” Qalu responded. “You were most gracious to entertain us, but my mothers must be incredibly anxious by now.”

  “I want to see Inatol and Solsan,” Aevi said. “It’s been so long.”

  “I can do calculus,” Snaps announced.

  Beryl scratched his head. “That’s excellent, buddy. You can help me with the higher math from now on. Did you introduce Aevi to the tiny green dirt dogs?”

  “I forgot! Aevi, come with me. Come see my babies! I’m a father now. But they’re not that small anymore. Soon I will have to call them large green dirt dogs. I think right now they’re medium green dirt dogs.
”

  Helix watched in bemusement as Snaps led Aevi into the other room. Quietly, Qalu offered her warmest and most respectful bow, though she startled when Beryl pulled her into a human hug. They exchanged a few words of leave-taking, and when Aevi returned, it was time to head out to meet the shuttle.

  “It’s not farewell,” Zylar said. “We’ll visit.”

  “We promise,” Beryl added.

  Aevi bounced. “I’ll show you everything,” she said to Snaps.

  “I’ll miss you, feather-tail.”

  “Me too, fur-face!”

  Without further ado, their small love group boarded the shuttle, the second to last step on their long journey home.

  For Qalu, it was strange to be home at last.

  The light glazed the place with warmth this early in the sunspan. Aevi raced around, smelling everything, more overjoyed than Qalu had ever seen. Helix had smoothed their return, as he did with all complex systems, silently adjusting the details so swiftly that the terminal barely flickered at the alteration. At some point, he’d also manufactured an identity for himself, one that matched the backstory she’d invented for her mothers, what seemed like ages ago now. The bored official had let them go with minimal questions, convinced that he was a Tiralan citizen who had been living on Titan V until recently, and they’d sped from the city in a public transport pod, one that deposited them outside her beloved home in short order.

  Now she registered a joyous sort of disbelief at finding the habitat as she’d left it. She led the way inside, not even minding the fine film of dust that had settled on everything. They had been traveling for quite a while, and though she wanted to rest, she couldn’t settle in without contacting her mothers. She’d mentioned doing so on Vaadla Station, but she couldn’t decide what to say. It had seemed better to make amends once she got home. They would be hurt and angry if she didn’t apologize for her impulsive behavior, and the task wouldn’t grow easier through procrastination.