S&N: Playful Battle

Fic Or Original: Original

Genre(s): Science Fiction/Romance

Rating: T (as according to fictionpress)

Characters In Chapter: Samara Crichton, Nazilla, Mark, Stewart, Martha, Rebecca, Glau

Relationship(s): Samara Crichton/Nazilla

I dried myself off as I watched Samara do the same. Showering was extremely fun when I had been human, but now my robot senses picked things up as plain that I used to think of as extraordinary. I could measure how hot the water was and how fast it came out of the shower head. Drying myself off as I stepped out of the shower was done precisely.

  

There was no more fun of the feeling of the towel going over my body. No, I only had to concern myself with drying myself off in the quickest manner so I could do other things.

 

I should have missed feeling human but I didn’t. Samara looked at me and I could tell she felt pity for me because she probably thought that me not really being human anymore was a bad thing. But, to me, it was acceptable. Being human had been awesome but I didn’t feel any pain about being a Machine now.

 

I looked her up and down as she tied her towel around herself. I could tell that she still had the body that would have aroused me if I had still been human. But I wasn’t human anymore but I still felt interested in her physical features.

 

“How are you feeling?” I asked her as she started to blow dry her hair.

 

“Nervous.” Samara admitted. “It’s just…what if this plan doesn’t work?”

 

I put my hands around her waist and my head on her shoulder. I took in every detail that I could. I took in her body heat, her blood pressure, and how much water was probably still on her skin. I noticed the fact that I wasn’t feeling her like I once did and didn’t consider that fact important.

 

“The plan will work.” I told her as I was confident in the plan.

 

“But what if you die?” Samara asked and I could see her worry more clearly than I wanted to.

 

“Netty made me to last.” I reassured her. “I will hold up. But you should worry more about yourself. You’re more likely to die.”

 

I didn’t add that she was human and humans were weak. I knew she would be offended at this and I didn’t want to distress her anymore. Our relationship was on rocky ground and I didn’t want to make things worse.

 

Samara turned her head so she was looking at me and said, “Karma can fight The Net and Karma will destroy Logic. You’re not invincible.”

 

Yes, Samara was right. I could die. Before I would’ve preferred death rather than be what I was now, but now I had found peace with myself. Now I wanted to live so I could bring down Netty.

 

Besides this upcoming battle, I was worried about something else. Something that was probably nothing, but which I was still concerned with.

 

“Mark,” I said and Samara just sighed. “He’s human and you’re human.”

 

“I’m also a lesbian.” Samara replied. “Don’t worry, Naz, I’m not going to leave you. Especially not for a man.”

 

“But will you leave me if you find a human woman you like?” I asked.

 

I knew how much I had changed and knew that it might bother Samara in the future. Did I care about her leaving me? In a way, yes, but I would get over it. A part of me, that remained the most human, didn’t want her to leave me at all. I wanted Samara to stay with me not just because I trusted her, but because I loved her.

 

My love for her was with me even after I had become a Machine. And now it had just evolved into something that was different, but was still strong.

 

“There will never be a woman that would make me leave you.” Samara said and then we both got quickly dressed.

 

I got dressed first and evaluated my girlfriend’s fitness. I didn’t want her to go into battle when she could died. I had die and didn’t consider it a good thing to happen. If you survived you would be a Machine and completely different than who you had been before.

 

“Are you ready?” I asked her out of politeness as I could tell that she was ready.

 

“Yes, let’s go down to meet the others.” She replied and we walked quickly to the living room.

 

I looked at the team that was now in our living room. 

 

Mark was sitting on a chair in his usual cocky manner. He had a look of disinterest but I could tell he was worrying. He was a leader and liked to look in control and unafraid, but he was afraid. He couldn’t hide that from me. When he looked at me he put all of his fears into an angry look on his face that he directed at me.

 

Stewart was sitting close to Mark and was doing a better job at controlling his fear. He looked at me with his eyes that seemed to care more about examining me than extending real friendship.

 

Martha and Rebecca, the two sisters, were comforting each other before the big battle.

 

Kered was still in bed to recover so he wouldn’t be joining us.

 

Samara and I sat down to get ready for last minute arrangements.

* * *

Going into battle had used to be a fun thing for me. It had been a time when I would joke and have fun. But not now. Now most of my mind was more concerned with thinking about everything that could go wrong and how I would deal with it when all Hell broke lose. When I had been human I would’ve been joking at this moment. I would’ve been jokingly complaining to Samara about her not letting me drive. We would talk about what we would do after we finished the battle. 

Karma used guerrilla warfare for the most part, so no large scale battles like in old war movies had happened yet. It would happen one day and hopefully wouldn’t be when Netty had taken over the world and humanity was a struggling rebellion.

 

Looking over at the driver’s seat where Samara was, I knew that I couldn’t live in a world without her. She was helping me hold on and I was scared what would happen if I didn’t have that kind of support.

 

Samara saw me looking and she smiled. Maybe she thought I was being human and just admiring her. That I was merely looking to satisfy my sexual desires. But I wasn’t, I was looking at her on a more emotional level than I had done when I was human.

 

I had loved her when I had been human, but I had also been equally interested in her body. Now her body was intriguing to me but different than in a sexual sense. Her body was like an art piece to me now, but it wasn’t one I’d have sex with on a whim. There would have to be some set up and she’d have to be the one to initiate the encounter. I didn’t get any pleasure out of sex now, but I wanted to keep Samara happy for as long as I could.

 

As I was thinking these thoughts, I was keeping track of the landscape outside the car. We had gone from our neighborhood to a city and now a parking lot was ahead of us. We would park a little distance from the parking lot and then walk to it.

 

The parking lot was behind a building and tall walls so that our attack wouldn’t be as noticeable. Plus we could escape in cars if need be. I didn’t think it was wise to attack in such an open location, but the attack here would strike a blow against Netty. That was worth the risk.

 

Plus it was in part of the city that wasn’t visited much and there was a company party going on inside that was loud. So we should be safe.

 

I looked around as Samara parked her car and we started walking to the parking lot trying to appear normal.

 

“Really? She did what?” I said in a voice that sounded like I had when I had been human, but with forced feeling.

 

“Yeah. She is crazy like that.” Samara said and laughed.

 

She put an arm around me and laughed. For a moment I could pretend that I was still human and we weren’t part of Karma. We were just regular people living lives while not knowing about the war that was warming up.

 

But that wasn’t our lives and so I kept on the alert for any of Netty’s forces. I also looked out for the other members of our team. At least the team that we would be going with on this mission. They had been told to arrive at a different time than us, but the wait was still unnerving. I was glad that me being an M-4 allowed me to keep track of the exact time so I didn’t become antsy waiting for the mission to begin.

 

Within a minute or two Mark, Stewart, Rebecca, and Martha met us. They had been pretending to have been a group of friends that had been out drinking. Nothing threatening. Nothing that Netty would be concerned about.

 

It would be two minutes after they arrived that I would release a signal and eventually Machines would come pouring out towards us. The plan was to first attract the four Netty members that were the head of Playful Ballet to come out and then we would kill them. Destroying the Machines would merely be to help us escape.

 

Mark nodded to me and I concentrated on what I was about to do. I used all the common functions of an M-4 most days but this was something that was very different. It was something that was something I knew how to do instinctively, but it was creepy in a way I couldn’t explain. After around the time it takes a human to blink, I had sent out the signal.

 

I stood close to the doors of the building and appeared very robotic while the others took their places, readying their aims.

 

Then four humans of Netty came out. The people that came out hardly had a chance to move before they were gunned down and the Machines that followed close behind them started to attack. I had seen someone, most likely Stewart, killing his target with a headshot while the others hadn’t been so good in their aim.

 

The M-3s that were behind the humans were very well programmed. They gave me and my fellow Karma members hardly any time to react. I dodged their fire more easily than Samara had, but not by much.

 

We had all hidden decent guns on us that would pack a little punch. It wouldn’t be a way to fight a large battle with, but that isn’t what this skirmish called for. So I took out my gun and I fired back at the M-3s. I kept as much focus as I could on them and where the other members of my team were.

 

Mark had taken some damage and as I was examining that I was also looking at two M-3s that were coming very quickly towards me. I put the analysis of Mark’s wound to the back of my mind as I thought how best to take these Machines down.

 

I aimed for their weak points and fired while some of their bullets grazed me. While I was focused on taking them down a third one appeared behind me. I threw it into the nearest car and quickly disabled the two that were originally attacking me.

 

As the battle continued I saw a very familiar M-3. Glau was involved in this battle and that gave me a great chance to get some questions answered.

 

After making sure of the safety of my team, I started running towards her as she turned to face me.

 

I remembered meeting Glau for the first time. During that time I had thought she was just Samara’s ex. That Glau was an average woman. But I had been proven to be wrong. She was an M-3 and therefore the enemy.

As I quickly closed the distance between us I felt a moment of regret. Not because I had feelings for her, at least that wasn’t the main part, but for the reason of my Machine self wanting to interact with her. That that side of me thought Glau could have been a strong ally if I had wanted it to be that way.

 

But even if I had wanted her as an ally, we were on two opposing sides.

 

I aimed my gun at her and didn’t hesitate to pull the trigger when I found an opening. It was a small opening on Glau’s right wrist but it was something. However, seconds before the bullet would’ve hit her she moved slightly. When the bullet had passed her wrist it went back to where it had been previously.

 

If there had been humanity in her she would have smiled. Glau wasn’t human and so her face was as blank as mine. I was too concentrated on the battle to bother with focusing on the expression on my face.

 

While I was readjusting my aim she fired at one of my eyes and I barely moved out of the way in time. It was followed by four more bullets aimed at different parts of my body. As I danced out of the way of each, I returned fire which Glau managed to dodge.

 

During the continued exchange of fire, I realized why Glau was here. She had been a member of Playful Ballet. I say that in the past tense as the four leaders of it were now dead. The front was now no longer in existence.

 

I finally got close enough to Glau that I was able to hit her with a fist. She went back a few inches and then I leaned back to barely avoid one of Glau’s fists. When the move was over I stood up straight and was then hit in the side of my neck.

 

I put up one arm to block the next move and then pushed her into the nearest car.

 

“You think with Playful Ballet out of the way that Karma is any closer to stopping The Net?” Glau asked. “The Net has resources Karma doesn’t. Its resources will help us win this fight and you will fail.”

 

“I am loyal to Karma.” I replied, aiming a kick at her side. “Until the day I am not able to function any longer.”

 

I swore that Glau’s face seemed to have an expression of regret for a second. Then it was gone and I replayed that memory. Yes, that expression of regret was there. Did Glau like me and want me at her side? Or was she merely trying to manipulate my human side?

 

Whatever the case was I continued to attack her. She continued to resist me.

 

What were the chances of Karma actually winning the fight against Netty? What were my chances of coming out on top? Hell, even if Netty was defeated there was still the chance I’d be deactivated shortly afterwards. So wouldn’t siding with Netty be the logical thing to do?

 

My fight with Glau gave me a brief moment to look at Samara and I realized that I couldn’t side with Netty because of her. I loved her and I couldn’t stop loving her. Becoming a Machine and working for Netty hadn’t stopped me wanting to be with her.

 

Finally I saw my chance and pushed Glau to the ground. I made sure that she couldn’t move and then was about to kill her when I saw a change. She looked up at me scared with a human expression on her face. She knew I had a human side but there was no reason to do this. Though I didn’t rule out a trick being played on me.

 

“Nazilla, what are you doing?” Glau asked in a voice that had human amounts of fear in it. “Why are you mad at me?”

 

“Stop it.” I told the M-3. “You know what you did.”

 

But part of me was wondering if Glau’s expressions were real. Maybe she didn’t realize what she was at the moment. However, that didn’t mean she was suddenly docile. What if her violent side came out and killed me? What if she didn’t know what she was at the moment but her violent side was waiting for the perfect moment to strike?

 

“I didn’t do anything. Last thing I remember I was taking a shower this morning. Or maybe it was a few months ago.” Glau said as she started to cry. “This happens a lot and I’m sorry.”

 

I tried not to fall for the trick. It had to be a trick to make me lose concentration and then Glau would attack me. The M-3 knew that as an M-4 there was still a human part to me. It was a faded side, but it was still there. It would always be there.

 

“Please, don’t kill me. I’m sorry for whatever I did. Please.” Glau continued.

 

I found myself believing her. Maybe M-3s did have two personalities and that could be a problem at times. This deserved a closer look.

 

However, I couldn’t let her be conscious for the moment.

 

As Glau thought she was human it was beyond easy taking out her chip and putting it away in a pocket. It made me somewhat disturbed to see all the humanity drained out of her when her chip was removed. I shouldn’t care about that so why did I?

 

While returning fire from other Machines, as they saw their fellow Machine was dead and had decided to start attacking again, I looked for a car. I found one that I thought would escape detection and put Glau into the trunk of it.

 

I started the car and yelled out, “Samara!”

 

We should go now. This wasn’t a battle we had to win. We had killed who we meant to and now it was time to leave.

* * *

I heard the sound of Samara calming her breathing down in the backseat. We were more than halfway home, but she was still reeling from the battle. Because of the chaos I hadn’t had a chance to tell her about Glau. I wanted to be back home where I would have time to stop and answer questions about the M-3.

 

Leaving the battle had been more than hectic. Martha and Rebecca had run away to their original vehicle while Mark and Stewart had to leave in a vehicle from the parking lot. Samara had managed to get into the backseat of the car I had stolen.

 

I kept on the lookout for Netty’s forces to suddenly appear, but they didn’t. Samara and I had survived, but I knew she would feel guilty if the others had died. I didn’t like the thought of the other four dying, but it wasn’t guilt I’d feel if they died. Rather I would miss their contributions to Karma.

 

Even Mark.

 

As I pulled the car up I saw two other cars and Stewart standing idly at the door. Samara got out and waved at him. I let the two of them exchange coded information while I walked to the trunk. I opened it up and looked at Glau’s unconscious form.

 

I heard Samara and Stewart start to come over to me.

 

“Naz?” She asked and then stood silent when she saw Glau.

 

“That’s a Machine?” Stewart asked. “M-3 or M-4?”

 

“It’s my ex…well…was.”

 

“It’s an M-3 called Glau. Glau is the person it’s imitating.” I said and looked at the two.

 

I tried to decipher Samara’s face and could only figure out that she didn’t like seeing her ex again. Was it the reminder that the real Glau was now dead? Was it the fact that she thought I was going to turn? Was it the fact that Glau would become good and Samara would have to see her dead ex for years?

 

Examining Stewart’s expression was much harder. He always seemed Machine-like in his intensity. From what I could tell, he wanted to examine the M-3 body himself to find out new ways to destroy it in battle.

 

“Why did you bring her here?” Samara asked.

 

“While attacking me she forgot that she is an M-3.” I explained. “I want to examine her chip and find out if she can one day be made to serve Karma.”

 

Stewart’s face seemed to take on a few different expressions at once before settling on his usual calm demeanor. Samara just looked like she didn’t want to deal with this argument at the moment. I felt like I had made the correct decision to not tell her until now.

 

“Why didn’t you tell me?” She finally asked and shook her head.

 

“Well it just happened and you needed a breather after the battle.” I explained. “And I figured it’d be better to have this conversation now where we can take our time.”

 

“If you can find out how to fight the M-3’s better, find a weakness, Karma will be proud.” Stewart said and then paused. “But you’ll need to convince Kered.”

 

“That will be a problem.” I said. “But what if it was your idea?”

 

“What? So Stewart can take the blame?” Samara asked sternly.

 

“No, because Kered doesn’t like me. If the suggestion comes from someone he likes then he has a better chance at agreeing to it.”

 

“Why do you really want to do this?”

 

“Because it will help Karma.”

 

Samara just shook her head and I knew I hadn’t fooled her. We had known each other for too long for me to get away with the lie. Was she worried that I would turn and leave her alone? And how would she react to me leaving her a second time?

 

After a node from Stewart, I took Glau out. She was heavy enough for me to take a second to make sure I could hold the weight, but it wasn’t hard after that initial lift. I registered her weight, but there was no effect besides information. I didn’t grow tired as I carried her into the house.

 

I walked inside and then headed down into the basement. Everything down there was organized so that any one of us could work on a project with the knowledge that we could easily put evidence away. I set Glau onto the table on the right side of the room. I tied her up so that if she realized she was a Machine that she wouldn’t be able to escape.

 

Trying her up gave me time to think about what would happen if I had to kill her. There was something about her that made me think of her as a kind of friend. A kind of friend that would try to kill me from time to time.

 

Scanning over the restraints a few times still didn’t give me enough reassurance, but it would have to do. I took Glau’s chip out of my pocket and put it into her head. It took a minute for her to come to and then she looked at me.

 

Describing her look is beyond the scope of a lowly M-4. The look Glau gave me wasn’t human and yet it wasn’t Machine. Glau’s personalities were probably warring with each other and so she couldn’t respond. Neither side would give control for her to say anything if that was the case.

 

“Glau?” I asked and she struggled before deciding it was useless to try.

 

“Y…sss…” Glau finally replied.

 

The rest of the night followed like that. Both sides of Glau were struggling and neither would take enough control to tell me anything useful. There were angry sounds from her mouth but nothing more. It wasn’t like I expected to make any headway the first day anyways.

 

But it still would’ve been nice.

 

“Naz!” Samara yelled out and I looked at Glau. “The others are leaving!”

 

Should I leave her on and trust her or turn her off?

 

Looking at the restrains I knew there wasn’t much I should worry about. I had made sure she wouldn’t escape and so she wouldn’t.

 

Saying good-bye to the others wasn’t exactly sad, but it would be odd working without them. Which in some cases, like Mark’s, would be a good thing. 

 

Martha, of course, insisted on hugging me. She gave me words that were comforting but untrue. Lies that humans told themselves to feel good. That I had told myself once. Rebecca, the older and colder sister, just shook my hand and told me that she hoped to work with me again.

 

Stewart looked at me with admiration before being going out. He was the one that I would miss the most. It wasn’t that he treated me like a human, but because he…treated me as what I was: some odd combination of human and Machine. If I had been straight or bisexual I might have even decided on trying to start a relationship with him. As it stood, he wasn’t sexually attractive to me.

 

Mark just looked at me and walked away. There were no good-byes between us and I didn’t mind.

 

Samara and I waved as they left. I only did so because it was a motion I knew it to fit the moment. When they were out of our sight I went back in to examine Glau some more.

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