After the Second Fall Pt. 03.1

Pip interrupted the torrent of words by standing and pulling Annora into his chest. "It's okay, we'll figure it out. Did you sleep at all?"

Annora shook her head.

"She was up at least seven times," Rachel said quietly.

"You were keeping an eye on us?" Pip asked, to which Rachel nodded. "I see: that's why you're so tired, too.

"Listen, Rach, maybe sleeping a little more would be a good idea. What do you think?"

Instead of responding verbally, Rachel pulled back the covers, inviting them back into bed.

"Do you usually sleep without clothes?" Pip asked Annora.

"We only wear clothes when it's cold."

"Rachel?" Pip asked, but the smaller woman was already tossing her shirt onto the floor and working on her bottoms, settling back onto her pillow immediately afterward. Pip smiled and did the same, then laid down, gesturing for Annora to join them.

The big woman looked torn, clearly wanting to lay down, but holding herself back nonetheless.

"Is it because I'm here?" asked Rachel curiously.

There was a pause before Annora nodded tentatively. "We're not allowed to be around people. I might hurt you."

"Why would you hurt me?"

"Oh, I wouldn't!" exclaimed Annora, her voice rising for the first time since her arrival at the Complex. "But sometimes Mods go crazy."

"I see," said Rachel pensively. "How about Pip sleeps between us so you don't need to worry about hurting me. Would that make you more comfortable?"

"Yes, please," replied Annora, much relieved as she crawled onto the bed.

Now in the middle, Pip was unsure what to do with himself, so he laid on his back and put his arms behind his head. Eschewing her pillow, Rachel crawled up next to him and rested her head on his right shoulder, snuggling in tightly as he wrapped his arm around her. On the other side, Annora was repositioning his extremities, first his leg and then his arm, pulling them outward so that she could drape herself over him.

The familiarity Pip's new acquaintance showed him might have been disconcerting, if it wasn't so obviously innocent of ulterior motives. In less than a hundred beats, both women seemed to be unconscious, leaving Pip alone with his thoughts.

When eight bells arrived, corresponding with the lights fully illuminating, the nearest door opened and Mars peeked in. Making eye contact with Pip, he silently asked if everything was fine, and upon receiving confirmation, backed into the hall, quietly closing the door.

Pip woke with a flinch, still pinned to the mattress by Annora, quite surprised to find someone massaging his most sensitive areas; in only a couple beats, Rachel appeared in his vision and bent forward to whisper in his ear. "I'm feeling possessive, Pip, like I need to mark my territory." There was an unspoken question in her eyes, which he answered with a nod, even though he wasn't certain what she had in mind. After a quick peck, Rachel's face disappeared from his view and her ministrations on his genitals began again.

In less than a hundred beats, it had become very difficult for Pip to remain silent given that Rachel was an expert at making him feel good, having meticulously explored and memorized his favorite sensations. He wanted to stay still, but his hips began to push up, following the rhythm Rachel was setting with her hands and mouth.

Both Pip and Rachel were surprised when Annora began rocking her hips unconsciously and let out a soft moan. With a shift of her hips and a toss of her head, she had repositioned her mons directly onto his upper thigh, pushing hard to gain stimulation. The skin covering his quadriceps wasn't the most sensitive part of his body, but the evident moisture and warmth made Pip groan.

With very little warning, Rachel lowered herself onto him, moving slowly to accommodate his size. Lifting his head, he saw that his lover was facing toward Annora, holding onto the much larger woman's thighs as she pushed more of him inside. When Pip let his head fall back, he saw that Annora was awake and looking at him appraisingly. He was about to ask if she was okay when she let out a surprised grunt and pushed even harder into his leg.

Deciding that whatever Rachel was doing to Annora was between the two women, Pip closed his eyes and slowed his perception of time, feeling the exquisitely slow, intense sensation as Rachel began to move just a little faster, in and out, a bit deeper with each stroke. Soon she had reached her limit and stopped, pushing down harder, although there was nowhere left to go. The pressure on Pip was intense, despite Rachel's relatively inconsequential weight, and it elevated his arousal significantly. Without warning, she rose quickly, the rapid change surprising him, pulling his orgasm forcefully from him in slow motion, even as she reversed direction and started back down. Overwhelmed, Pip barely registered the feel of Annora rocking violently against him as her body crested, nor did he see the intense look in Rachel's eyes as she once again reached her capacity.

Pip soon came back to his senses, his hips still following Rachel's rhythm, despite his climax. On his left side, Annora was breathing deeply, evidence of her own exertion. As gently as he could, he extracted himself and rolled over, laying Rachel beneath him.

"Tell me what you want," he said.

"I want all of you."

"You have me," he replied gently, but she shook her head.

"Not like Annora can."

He didn't say anything, but Pip positioned himself at her entrance and slowly moved inside once again, his recent orgasm making the process slightly easier.

"Pip, when we're done, I want you to do to her what you can't do to me: I want you to let yourself go," Rachel managed, her voice shaky as he began to move in and out. "But for now, I want you to love me."

"I do love you, Rach," he said, leaning down to whisper in her ear.

"I know, but show me. Show her. And Pip," Rachel continued, her voice lowering to a whisper, "I want you to make it hurt, just a little."

Pip hadn't seen Rachel act so uncertain since her first weeks at the Complex, but he complied, using everything he knew about her to demonstrate his feelings. In this case, however, instead of the slow, gentle movements he usually favored, he thrust enthusiastically, stopping just shy of injury. He nipped at her neck and ears, pinched her hips and breasts, and lightly flicked or twisted her nipples -- everything he could think of to add more sensation.

Rachel's eyes soon lost focus as Pip's continued assault repeatedly drove the breath from her lungs while his manual manipulations caused her to suck in air, back and forth from one extreme to the other.

He could see that she was rapidly approaching the end of her strength when Annora suddenly appeared from his right and kissed her fiercely, covering Rachel's entire mouth with her own. The smaller woman began to convulse, trying to push Annora away with one hand while pulling her head down with the other.

When the bigger woman finally broke the kiss, Rachel gasped loudly, filling her deprived lungs, tears streaming from both eyes, quaking with aftershocks as Pip continued to slowly push and pull.

"T-T-T..."

Pip slowed his motions, but didn't stop.

Her eyes still closed, Rachel licked her swollen lips and tried again to speak. "T-T-Too much, P-P-Pip."

He nodded and slowed down further.

"I didn't know that Mods could be with people," Annora said softly.

Rachel, having heard the comment, reached out blindly with her hand toward Annora, but her arm didn't seem to be functioning properly and flopped randomly on the bed. The bigger woman scooped it up in her own hand, holding it gently while Rachel continued to shudder as the result of Pip's ongoing attention.

"Her t-t-turn, Pip," Rachel managed after another small climax, but he shook his head and smiled, picking up speed once again.

Chapter 2

"They want to talk."

"Wait... why would Marbelo want to talk -- to threaten us?"

The two most powerful people in Rieckenburg were sitting in the Meister's office, just off the central Quad.

Cassidy shrugged. "Not likely. They are going through the official channel, meaning approval from the Arena council, who reached out to me. My guess is that they want their fighter back and are willing to bargain."

Lilith folded her arms and sat back, a skeptical look on her face. "The fight was just yesterday. Do things usually happen this fast?"

"It... can, but no, not usually."

"So what do we do?"

"Well," the Meister replied, looking up to the ceiling, "in any negotiation, it's best to go in prepared. At the very least, we need to set limits: what is the absolute most we're willing to give up, and what is the absolute minimum we're willing to take. The rest is usually about knowing the market price, but I don't think there is such a thing for a female Adam," Cassidy finished with an ironic smile.

"I don't like it at all, and I think this is going to blow up on us. You saw how protective Pip was yesterday, and that was before they got up to Lord-knows-what last night. There is no way he's going to allow us to send her back, regardless of what they offer: he's too principled for that. And too fucking stubborn, besides."

"What if they offer us Theiss?"

"Is it worth Pip? Because that's what we're really talking about. You and I both know it's not, no matter what they offer."

"Lilith, offers for sit-downs are exceedingly rare. Even if we don't make a deal, or talk about a deal, it's worth hearing what they have to say."

Shaking her head, the Executive Director breathed out a long sigh of frustration. "When would this tete-a-tete be?"

"Tomorrow."

Sighing again, Lilith said, "When I first wanted Pip for my marketing campaign, to build him up here in the city, John told me to make him a full partner in my plans. It worked out pretty well.

"I think that's what we need to do here: bring Pip into the discussion." Lilith was silent for a hundred beats, then nodded. "Yeah, I think that's best. You tell them that we'll meet them at the Arena tomorrow and I'll go talk with Pip."

"Is that really what we want? You're essentially ceding power to Pip, if not in actuality, then by making sure he knows that he can influence what we do."

"Come on, Cassidy, he already knows that," Lilith responded sharply, "so I honestly don't see what difference it makes. At some point, if he decides he wants more control, we'll have to deal with it. Until then, this looks like our best option."

The Meister shook her head, unconvinced, but finally held up her hands in resignation. "Okay. It feels a bit like moving toward the patients running the asylum, but okay."

Lilith frowned, but let the statement go without a response, and after half a hundred beats asked, "Can Pip be present at the meeting?"

Cassidy's previous line of thinking went askew and she gawped for a moment, then smiled wickedly. "I don't see why not, but I'm not going to tell them anything in advance. That should give us an advantage: throwing off your opponents is rule four or five in negotiations. That's what you have in mind?"

"More or less. I think it will be good for him to be there because I know he won't take any shit about Annora."

Nodding, Cassidy followed-up, "And what about her?"

"I'll hold off on the public announcements I was going to make, but most of the Complex probably knows Pip brought someone back by now, which means the rest of the city will know in less than two weeks. She was covered, so it may still be secret that she's a she, but that will come out eventually, too."

"Alright," Cassidy said, standing. "We have about three bells to talk on our way to the Arena, so we'll work out our final strategy during the ride; until then, we both have work to do. You'll have Pip wear something intimidating?"

Lilith grinned and nodded. "Black. He looks really good in black."

Back at the Complex, Annora was still sleeping while Pip and Rachel sat side by side on the bed across the room.

"You were watching her last night: is that what you wanted to tell me?" Pip asked in a whisper.

Rachel nodded. "I thought it best at the time since we barely know her, but I don't think there's anything you need to worry about. Everything she said rings true, at least to my ears."

"Mine as well. So what now?"

"Now we help her while trying to get as much information as possible. Pip, there's something I need to tell you, but I'm quite certain you won't want to hear it."

Pip looked down at Rachel, raising an eyebrow. "It's not like you to hedge when you're talking to me."

Rachel turned and got onto her knees so she was closer to eye level, looking at him intently. "She's not right for you, and I think you should keep your distance, emotionally speaking."

"Jealous?" he asked with a grin, but it was forced and Rachel could see it.

"Pip, you like reclamation projects, whether you know it or not. All of your girls, with the possible exception of Maggie, are damaged. I think something about that appeals to your protective instincts, and somehow balances the self-hatred you feel from fighting."

"Whoa, Rach, that's pretty heavy for first thing in the morning. When did you come to that conclusion?"

"It was obvious as soon as I got to know Rosie. She's wonderful, but objectively speaking, there are prettier, smarter girls. The same can readily be said for me."

"But I chose you both," Pip whispered emphatically.

"And I'm glad you did," soothed Rachel. "I don't see it as a fault, but you need to be aware of what you're doing because there is only so much Pip to go around."

"So you are jealous?"

Rachel shook her head, still looking at him seriously. "Pip, Annora seems sweet, like a naive child in a woman's body, but I suspect it's worse than that. I'm sure that your instincts tell you she can be saved, but I don't think there's anything there. There's no real personality: everything you've seen so far consisted of conditioned responses. Do you notice how all of her answers seem rote and all of her questions are about getting what she wants?

"If you invest yourself in her, she will hurt you, and what's more, she will have no idea that she's doing it."

"Come on, it can't be that bad. She's still a person, or a Mod, or whatever they call her, which means she can learn."

"I'm sorry, Pip, but I really don't know about that. From what she told us last night, she was used as nothing more than an incubator from the time she reached maturity. Do you really think they invested energy and resources into her before that?"

Pip wanted to argue, but a sick something was growing in his stomach, so instead he closed his eyes and leaned his head against the block wall behind him, concentrating on the cool feeling. After half a hundred beats he let out a resigned sigh. "What do you think I should do?"

Rachel inhaled deeply and took his hand, offering him a reassuring smile. "Let someone else help. There are good counselors here that can work with her, and maybe she'll make progress over time. Otherwise, we help her imprint -- attach -- to someone else that can help her build a foundation without feeling like they need to do everything for her. Do you have any ideas?"

"Crush maybe?" ventured Pip, then he sat up. "No: Rover. I know he's still in a lot of pain after losing his leg, and she's big enough that she can help him get around. They can help each other at the same time. Right?" he asked, suddenly uncertain.

"Perfect," Rachel confirmed, smiling broadly. "It's not really in my purview, but let's go find him now, before the Council comes up with a different plan."

"Wait a moment," chuckled Pip, feeling much relieved about the situation, "you're not worried about going around the rest of the Council?"

"They talk too much most of the time, and in the end, they would just do what I suggest anyway."

"Really?" teased Pip, but she nodded without even the hint of a joke, and Pip's face took on a look that said he was seeing Rachel in a new light. "That's... something worth talking about, but not right now."

"Agreed," Rachel said, then she winked and gave him a kiss, leaving him unsure if she was kidding after all.

About a bell later, when Pip wheeled Rover across the Courtyard to where Annora and Rachel were sitting, the Mod tensed and her eyes went wide. Pip introduced the still-recovering Adam, who had lost his leg during his own experience in the Arena. Pip told Annora that Rover was a friend and that he would protect her, and almost immediately her entire posture changed. After that, Pip simply asked Annora to push Rover around so that he could be outside for a while.

For his part, Rover hadn't actually said anything. He was extremely skeptical when Pip came to retrieve him from his room, but having seen Annora, he couldn't make his mouth form words. This wasn't actually a problem, given that she didn't seem to care one way or another, so off they went with Pip and Rachel trailing a dozen paces behind.

After half a bell, Pip stopped. "Rach, why did you want me to have sex with Annora if you don't want me around her?"

"Pip, it's not about what I want; it's about what's best for you, but that's not the point. I think you should be around Annora because you can learn from her, if not directly, then indirectly. She's seen a lot of pain, very little care, and almost no love whatsoever. That could easily have been you, if not for John. What I was trying to caution you against is getting emotionally attached yourself."

"So you wanted me be intimate with her and nothing more? That sounds awfully... selfish."

"Not intimate, Pip, because I doubt she knows what that means. Physical. She already told us they sleep in some sort of communal room. My thought is that they are probably encouraged to have sex as often as possible so that the female Mods are always pregnant. I could be off the mark, but that certainly feels like the right explanation, and my hunches aren't often wrong."

"So having sex with her would be a good thing?"

"I don't know, Pip," Rachel replied with a sigh. "My guess is that it would give her a sense of familiarity and maybe help her settle in, and I'm pretty sure she would enjoy it, but I don't know how to help her in the long term. That's where talking with somebody like Dr. Acker would come in."

Pip let out a long, exasperated breath. "Maybe you're right, but I don't think I could accept seeing her taken advantage of like something less than a person."

Rachel reached up and took his hand, tugging to get him to start walking again. "Let Rover play protector for a while: he'll be good at it."

The couple looked up ahead, seeing that Annora was now sitting in front of Rover's chair with her head leaned on his remaining thigh while he stroked what little hair she had. "What do you see, Pip?"

"A couple, I guess."

Smiling, Rachel squeezed Pip's hand. "I see something more. I see a hero Adam and the only Eve in the entire city. Given time, Rover will be the envy of the other Adams, even more so than you."

Pip gave Rachel a sideways glance. "I'll be relieved if that happens, but what makes you say so?"

"Rover is struggling to find his purpose since he can't fight any more. In another month, with his helper by his side, he'll have made significant progress in his rehabilitation. In three months, he'll be out of his chair all the time, with her still at his side, except she won't look emaciated, and her hair will have begun to grow out. When she puts on some weight and her curves fill out, she's going to be eye-catching.

"Rover already has a fan club of sorts, even if it's small right now. It will grow when they see him taking care of her in return, and based on what I've seen since we turned them loose, I think he'll gladly do everything he can."