Dr. Winters was waiting for the two bounty hunters when they came in. Dusty let go a chuckle as he saw what appeared to
be a human woman. Chad, recognizing her from the tube, was smitten once again and offered his hand.
"Zeera." The android said in a perfectly synthesised woman's voice.
"Chad." Said he of the same name in a somewhat dreamy tone as he stared at the perfectly crafted femininity.
"Have they taught you things to fetch coffee yet?" Dusty asked with a laugh.
"Have they taught you to bathe yet?" Zeera asked in an entirely too sweet tone. Chad couldn't be sure but he thought he
saw Dusty's Stetson jump a bit atop his head.
"Damnation, you gave these tin cans personalities now?" He asked of Dr. Winters.
"Each unit is given a randomised personality set, though we keep it within certain bounds to avoid problems. Zeera is an
individual, the same as you, though she has certain things hardwired into her mind to ensure she dosn't get too rough and
hurt you." She said with a chuckle.
"Hurt me? The hell you say I was ridin' after rustlers when she was still just a toaster oven." Dusty said with a shrug
as he dipped his hat back to its proper alignment.
"I can tell." Zeera quipped.
"I aint never called out a woman before, but I sure got a mind to right about now." Dusty glowered at her, his bushy grey
eyebrows raising in wrath not easily awoken.
"You men talk too much, or at least some of you do. Chad's a more polite, aren't you Chad?"
"Mmmhmmm." Chad murmured dreamily, overjoyed that this beautiful creature was talking to him.
"Chad's genitals were eaten by a Jaburian Llilthspawn, weren't they Chad?" Dusty asked pointedly.
"Mmmmhmmmm." He said once more, drawing a bit of laughter from Zeera as she put on a concealing flightsuit in order to
stop distracting her partner.
"It's good that at least two of you get along in some fashion. We already have a shuttle ready to take you to the planet
where Lux was last seen. Zeera will be driving, maybe that'll prove to you just how useful my creations are." She said as
she smirked at Dusty.
"You aint created any gun better than my six shooters here, and you aint created nothing that a bullet from one of 'em
won't settle." Dusty said with a shrug, his softspoken tone seeming to bely his brash words.
"We'll see I suppose. Good luck to the three of you." Dr Winters said before moving off as a door opened for them on a
way that would take them to the launch bay. Zeera darted off into the fore, evidently eager to show off her skills as a pilot.
Dusty followed along well behind her and Chad tried to stay at his side.
"She's really something isn't she?" Chad said as he looked after Zeera as her shoes tapped against the floor.
"It aint natural." Was all Dusty would reply.
"Hey what do you have against Zeera?" Chad asked in a somewhat more demanding tone than he would normally have thought
to employ on a man such as Dusty.
"It's nothing against her, just against that spook in the lab coat." Dusty looked over his shoulder disdainfully.
"What for? She seems nice enough and you don't strike me as the type that dosn't get along with others for no good reason."
"I'm her guinea pig, that's why I hate her guts." He stated simply.
"You? A guienea pig? I thought you hated science." Chad asked in confusion.
"It aint exactly the right word for what I do. She makes things and I break them. It's what's kept me sharp all this time.
You didn't think I kept combat ready just by training green horns like you did you?"
"Well I guess not, but why would she have you break the things she makes?" Chad asked, still not quite grasping what was
going on.
"She builds her androids, or worse things, and has me try to destroy them. She records all the combat data so she can make
better models to kill people. I havn't lost to one of them yet but it's been getting close. And now she can make things that
look and act just like humans. I tell you it dosn't feel right."
Just then Zeera broke in, seeing they had fallen a bit behind. She was already at the airlock that led to their ship. "Hey
hurry up if you want to get good seats." She called tauntingly as the two men quickened their pace and made it to the air
lock, finding that she was already gone, likely having made it to the cabin. Trent stopped, having been thinking on Dusty's
words.
"You might not feel right about it, but she does some good work for the company. If her robots aren't good at least her
weapons are useful, I had a bunch of them pointed at me today!"
"When they work at all they're good, otherwise they just look flashy! Those lazers and pulses and ions and such, they cock
up and freeze and run out of juice, I can't tell you how many good men and women died because of those things. I wouldn't
use them. What are you packing anyhow?" Dusty asked as he looked over Chad once more, still not seeing any weapons.
"I never really got one, I guess she must have forgotten." Chad said as he stepped into the ship.
"I doubt that." Dusty stated simply while he explored the ships holds and sleeping quarters.
"How come?" Asked Chad as he looked for the passage to the cockpit where he expected to find Zeera.
"Nothin." Dusty said before closing the door through which he had seen a large cache of advanced weaponry stowed by the
doctor. Chad could now hear a few clicks coming from the cockpit and started in that direction, only to be thrown back by
a sudden rush of G-forces.
The engines had roared to life and the craft was now speeding away from the station at magnificently unsafe speeds. Chad
turned with some effort and saw Dusty giving him an "I told you so." look as the two stood flattened against the back wall
of the entryway.
Click here to continue to ch 14
