Cold Phoenix

"So Molina is a simulation?" she asked. (I know this one is small... you don’t have to write much

She shook her head. "She's a Sheen construct- she's alive in every sense of the word- if need be, she can use her body, though she usually doesn’t"

"Ohhh, I understand. Would you mind giving me a quick tour of the house? At least the rooms I will have access to? I know you are a private person and I am just a guest so I have no qualms being restricted to certain portions. I also noticed that you told Mercy to 'lock up the classifieds.' I assume you were joking but I never can tell"

She points at the storage room. "Storage and workshop. That place is off limits to everyone on the face of the planet except for Moli, Mercy, and myself." She gestured at the living room. "The living room. Enough said." into the kitchen.

"Just about everything in here is automated- ask for a dish and Moli will serve it up- she's an excellent cook."

"Awe, you jest!"

"No, I'm being nice so the chef keeps the sharp stabby objects away from my body and the poison away from my food, Moli."

"Everybody's a comedian these days. Yeesh."

Sarah smiled and walked back into the living room and down the hallway. The door on the left was blank, and opened into a simple bedroom. "This is the guest bedroom, feel free to move in here." The door on the other side of the hallway had "caution- crime scene, do not cross" tape on it, danger stickers, and the like. "That's mercy's room. You can go in if you like, but I wouldn’t recommend it." And finally, to the end of the hall with the blocked staircase, "And these stairs go up to my room. No one goes up there. Except me."

She nodded, "I get this room, access to the kitchen, the living room and Mercy's room if I dare. You have been so kind to me. If dinner isn’t going to be ready, I would like to get dressed in something a bit more comfortable." She trotted off and grabbed her big suitcase of clothes, hauling it into her room. She smiled and closed the door, but not all the way. She unbuttoned her pants and slid them down her shapely legs. Then she took off her top and slipped into a pair of flannel pajamas. She inspected the room and sat on the bed, testing its firmness by bouncing on it, her milk-filled breasts wobbling. She lay down on her side for a moment and rubbed her hungry tummy. Closing her eyes she drifted off into a fantasy, feeling her belly and breasts.

A warm smell, the smell of pasta, cheese, garlic and spices drifts into the room. Molina's voice, half laughter, filled the room. "Dana, if you're done enjoying your body, there's some food you can feed it with in the kitchen. If you don’t hurry, Mercy will eat the whole thing on her own."

Dana blushed at the voyeur watching her fondle herself, "Thank you Molina," she said sarcastically, "I don’t know what I would have done without you!" She sighed and got up, rubbing her tummy one more time. She walked to the kitchen and sat at the table, being presented with a plate of casserole. She dug in and moaned as the flavor hit her tongue.

"Mmmmmmmmmm, this is good!" she said with a mouth full of food. She finished off her first plate quickly, not having eaten all day. She took another plate and munched it a bit faster. Rubbing her tummy she continued eating. The bottom of her tummy became distended and she wiped her face before looking at her companions

Sarah was standing, lounging against the fridge, plate in hand. "Still hungry?"

Mercy was sitting at the small table, across from Dana. Short, red haired, gray eyed, and heavily tanned, she was the epitome of cuteness. She'd demolished half the massive dish of casserole (which was big enough to feed seven people) and was happily taking another serving.

She nodded and whimpered, her body still eating for two and keeping most of the nutrients for her breast milk. She took another plate and demolished it in a few minutes. She moaned louder, her stomach achingly full. She drank a glass of water and stroked her stomach.

Unbeknownst to herself, her breasts had started leaking, and made larger and larger circles of moisture in her shirt. She leaned back and let out a tiny burp, blushing softly.

"Oh that was GOOD! Thank you so much Sarah, and Moline, you are a great chef!"

Sarah smiled. "Well, I'm going to go to bed. Mercy, you should go to sleep too- you've got you job tomorrow."

"Okay! ^_^ "

"Night, all." And then she was gone.

Dana took the plates and put them in the sink, feeling obliged to at least help clean up a bit. When she was satisfied, she walked to her room, a tiny waddle in her step. She got to her room and shut the door, completely undressing and curling up under her blankets. She smelled the sheets and they smelled faintly of Sarah. She nuzzled them and went to sleep as well, feeling safe.

The next morning she awoke to an empty house. The only things making noise was the fridge compressor and the computer in the living room. As Dana awoke, she smelled eggs and bacon cooking in the kitchen. Molina spoke once Dana had opened her eyes. "Hey, there. I started breakfast once you dropped out of REM sleep, and so it'll be ready for easting as soon as you're ready to eat. How you feeling today?"

She whimpered and looked down at her over-full breasts, but didn’t say anything to Molina. "I am fine Molina, I need a shower though. Could you tell me where the bathroom is?"

Mol chuckled. "Well, there's a full service bathroom attached to the room you're in and Sarah's bathroom has a pair of breast pumps in it- once you're done showering, I'll get you in there so you can get the pumps- you look like you need it."

She whimpered, her eyes filled with tears in the corners. "Why does Sarah have breast pumps, may I ask?"

"I don’t know, she never mentioned why to me." The door slid open and the lock at the end of the hall beeped. "Come on, just go on in and get the pumps. You sound like you need it."

She got up, sniffing softly and went through the door. The staircase went up, and there was an AIRLOCK styled door at the top, of all things. Molina keyed it open and....

Sweet goddess above.

So many things came clear at that point in time.

The entire walls and ceiling were all one-way glass- you could see out but not in. this allowed sunlight on. A dome in the middle of the floor was unmistakably a holographic projector, the glass was all airtight and reinforced, and there were air outlets that looked like they were hooked up to pumps used to SUCK the air out of the room, leaving it in vacuum. The metal plates in the floor looked like null-gravity field projectors, and when you put it all together...

This room was the closest thing to being in space there was on the planet. And there was only one kind of creature that could survive in space.

Fliers.

Sarah was a flier, probably here legally, though barely so- as the few fliers on earth were.

Molina's voice cut through Dana's reverie. "Hey, the bathroom's right below us." The floor hatch cycled open and within was a perfectly normal bathroom. A peek in the medicine cabinet revealed two breast pumps.

She took the breast pumps and walked out into her room. Thinking hard about it all she began to question a few things, but then some things became clearer. She tucked the images into the back of her mind, knowing Sarah would be upset if she went into her room without her permission.

She sat on the edge of her bed and looked down at the pumps, "Molina... how do I used these??"

Molina chuckled. "Call me molly, dear. Lift your shirt, take off your bra, and press the cup to your nipple. It’ll switch on automatically."

She lifted her shirt, her breasts very sensitive. As she took off her bra, the milk could be seen dripping from her nipples. She pressed the plastic cup to her nipple and it switched on. She arched her back and practically screamed as the pressure was lessened from her breast. "Molina! Ohhhhhhh, it hurts! Owwwwwwies!" she panted and whimpered, her face contorted with pain.

She felt something press her arm, and the pain lessened significantly. "Relax and try again. Give it a moment and then it'll adjust to your body and it'll feel better."

She closed her eyes and released the suction from her nipple. After composing herself she started again and this time the pain was much less. "Molina, will it always hurt this bad?"

"Nah, eventually you'll get used to it. Personally it's easier when your nipples are metal and the pump is built in. But that’s experience talking."

She giggled just a little and her breasts wobbled. She moved the pump from her slightly deflated nipple to the other, still distended one. She gasped through gritted teeth and arched her back as the milk came out from her nipple. The pain was not unbearable like the first time and eventually she pumped to comfortable levels

"You can use both at the same time, if you like." She smiled a bit. "Should I tell Sarah you were in her room, and why? I can edit that part out, if you like."

"I don’t know... I didn’t mean to! I don’t want her to be angry at me"

"She won’t be- just don't let on that you've figured it out- feel free to ask her about the stuff in there though. I haven't seen Sarah at a loss for words in YEARS."

"You can if you would like Molina, just as long as you are sure she wont get upset," she said, staring at her hands

Molina chuckled. "The moment she realizes you've been in her room, she'll be VERY upset- like I said, you figured out what she is, right? She'll be nervous that you'll tell someone- anyone- what she is, and that'll be more than enough to have customs and immigration come by to kick her back to Luna."

She looked horror struck, "I won’t tell anyone! I promise! I don’t want her sent back because of me. Oh, you cant tell her, I don’t want her to be mad at me and have to leave"

Molina smiled a little. "I'll do my best to distract her, but she'll know you were in there sooner or later- probably the moment she palms her way through the front door- she's locked the door acess logs out of my control, so she can look at them and see that the door opened and someone went in- My body IS the house, so she'll figure it out soon enough."

Dana began whimpering, "I'm going to be in trouble aren’t I?"

"Naaah- I will, cause I let you in. Relax, okay, Dana? Get yourself calm, finish pumping yourself so I can put the pumps back, and then I'll see what might be enough to calm her down."

The young girl nodded finished pumping in silence, the soft motor whirring and the bottles at the bottom filling. "What should I do with the milk Molina?"

"I'll send one of the serve-bots in, and it'll take the bottles, and pumps and put them away."

True to her word, a small robot rolled in on wheeled feet and waited patiently for Dana to finish and then took the pumps and bottles and left the room.

Dana curled up on her bed, unsure of what to do, but feeling a bit hungry, remembering the breakfast Molina was making for her before she even woke up. She crawled out of bed and went down the hall and to the kitchen where the smells of eggs and bacon were the strongest.

"Mmmmm, that smells so good Moline and I am starving"

Molina's avatar smiled, as the kitchen equipment reheated what it could and cooked fresh what it couldn't. An omelet with peppers, onions, mushrooms, ham, and cheese was on a plate on the counter, still hot, as Dana walked into the kitchen. Crisp, lean bacon resided beside it, along with some lightly buttered toast and a glass of orange juice and a smaller glass of milk. "Eat up, dear."

Molina's Avatar resided in a small box in the corner of every monitor in the house- as such, she was in every room to be seen and talked to.

She sat down and ate her meal swiftly but with almost perfect manners. She sipped her juice, and mopped up some of the cheese grease from her omelet with her bit of toast. Smiling happily at the monitor she finished off the milk and brought her dishes to the sink.

"As usual Molina, wonderful!" she said, rubbing her tummy.

Molina chuckled. "Well, I AM that good- I had a few good teachers- by proxy, at least, but good teachers."

"Molina... I mean Moli, what is the Sheen?" she said, wiping her face with a napkin

"Ah, yes, my people." She paused for a moment, thinking. "Ever seen Star trek?"

"That really old show with the bald guy and the fat one?" she asked

She winced. "Yeeeees. Remember the Borg?"

"Was his name Data or was that someone else?"

"Someone else, but you're on the right track. Okay, new analogy." She paused to think again. "You know what the Network is, right?"

"Yeah... it's the internet, just hooked up to EVERYTHING"

"Yeah. The Sheen are like artificial intelligences, except, well... hell, the Sheen are the best historians there are- we're walking memory banks, right? - But even WE don't know how we got started. What we do know is this:

Sheen AI's are real, living creatures- true intelligences- possibly even natural ones. We have emotions, feelings, etc. Sheen bodies feel pain and heal, though they're made of metal- and even though they're made of metal, most of them are only slightly more durable than you organics- lasers, bullets, knives- those can all do a number on a Sheen as well.

However, we also have shared memory. Just like a computer network can share processing time with other computers across a network, so can we- many sheen can join hands over the Network and puzzle over the problem with the amount of brainpower equal to ten or fifteen of the greatest human minds ever- all at once."

She nodded and listened on with true wonder. "So you have no clue how you came about but know just about everything else?"

"We don't know how we came to be, but we also don't know EVERYTHING."

She smiled, "I said just about everything else!" poking her tongue at the screen

The avatar smirked and rasberried Dana. "Pah!"

The time went by quickly as the two talked. 3pm rolled around and Mercy came home from teaching elderly men in lab coats about why their theories were wrong, and probably mentally scarring half of them in the process.

"YYYYAaaaaaaayyy! Freedom!" She dumped her bag and other stuff at the door and almost dove into the supply room & lab.

Dana shrugged, "You aren’t going to greet me, Mercy? I've been cooped up in here all day and I don’t even get a hug," she huffed

Mercy poked her head out of the doorway. "Sarrie will be home soon!" She gave a happy smile and shut the door again.

True to her prediction, Sarah came home a few minutes later, arguing over the police com-link.

"...I don't CARE what Investigations, said, that was arson and that's final! I live with a psychotic nutcase, I know what arson, intentional or otherwise, looks like!" She mouthed 'Hi, Dana!' to Dana as she walked in, going to the stairs to her room and palming open the door, continuing to argue. Moli spoke up. "She says she'll be down in two minutes, Dana."

Dana took her seat on the chair in the living room, preparing for the worst. 'Please don’t be angry Sarah; I didn’t know I was going into your room. The door was open and Molina technically told me to go in there, I just misinterpreted her. Please don’t be mad! Please! I don’t want to leave, I don’t want you to be taken away.'

After a few more minutes, Sarah came downstairs, earpiece in hand, and sat down across from Dana in the living room. Various machine-shop/ laboratory noises came from behind the storage room door and faintly filled the silence for a moment.

"Dana, did you go into my room?"

Dana looked down at her hands nervously and spoke up in a meek voice, "Yes, Ma'am" she finally said, "But I didn’t mean to... I just really needed something and the door was unlocked," she added in, trying to save her skin.

"Molina unlocked the door for you, and you needed my breast pumps, because the pumps weren’t I left them, and Moli has no reason to use them" Her voice is slightly cold- she's upset, but trying to control her anger. "This is actually my fault- I should have known you’d need the pumps and left them in your room before I went to work. But you could just as easily had Molina order a set for you and have them delivered in a few minutes. So why go into my room?" She stopped, and spoke, thinking aloud.

"Now, you obviously needed the pumps. Molina probably didn't mention the buying part of this to you for some reason, but she knows I have a pair, and she's the only one who can get into my room. Ergo, this is her fault." She stood up. "MOLINA!!"

Dana cowered; afraid she had gotten others in trouble. "Sarah, it is my fault! I asked her, please don’t yell," she whimpered.

Sarah twitched, staring at the Avatar box on the screen in the living room.

Sheen, being living creatures, need sleep just like the rest of us. Molina's avatar box had a sign hanging from the upper border that said "AI sleeping- leave a message" and behind hit, one could see Molina’s avatar, chibi style asleep on a bed.

"Whosever fault it is, I need to know something. What do you know?"

"Ermmmm..." her eyes darted from the avatar box, to Sarah and back to the box, "Do you want what I know or what I assume?" she asked nervously, trying to stall for time so Molina might wake up and bail her out.

"Both." She sat down, waiting expectantly.

Dana fidgeted and sighed, resolving that Molina probably wouldn’t be there to save her. She took a seat and stared at her hands, "I saw the big dome and the door that sealed tight, and I saw the air ducts and the holographic projector. I can only assume that you are not from this world, especially how you handled yourself the night you saved me

"Not from this world covers a lot of ground. I could be a nekomimi, or a grey elf, or a flier, or even a Sheen." She leaned forwards. "So which do you think it is?"

She composed some small bit of courage and looked the tall woman over, staring into her eyes before looking back down. "I believe you are a Flier"

She nodded. "And you know that means that I can get exported for just about anything, since Customs and Immigration is more or less bigoted towards anyone who isn't human."

She nodded. "But you've made it this far, what is to stop you now?"

"Them finding out I'm a flier. As far as anyone governmental knows, I'm a gene correction failure. Not all that common, but not uncommon enough to draw attention, thank goodness. I'm guessing you'll tell no one, and not because of my intimidating personality or anything?"

"Of course I wont tell and not because you scare me, because you don’t. I don’t want you to go!" she sniffed, "You are my savior and I don’t know where I'd be without you"

She chuckled. "Aha." She smiled and got up, stretching and cracking a few joints because of doing so.

Molina woke up, pulled down the sign and smiled happily at the two women. "So, things all sorted out?"

Dana rolled her eyes slightly and pouted, "Just in time Molina"

Moli smiled innocently. "Why, whatever do you mean?" Sarah just laughed. "Fine, Moli- you won't like the to-do list I’ve got for you, circuit head."

"Like what?"

"I've got a suspected arson case over in the Tichel district- look over the footage and LEO files and everything you can find- I want to prove Investigations wrong. Cheap asses."

"I'm sorry I went into your room" Dana said, approaching Sarah and extending her arms, hoping for a hug.

Sarah smiled at Dana, cutting off her conversation with Moli. The Sheen went to work, looking up information and such as Dana approached. Sarah got down on one knee, which would being their heights to about even, and held her arms open.

Dana giggled and embraced the Flier, stroking her back softly. "Are you still mad at me?"

"I wasn't really mad at you- I figured there was a mistake somewhere, and those are usually Moil’s doing."