Page 24 of Her Alien Cyborgs
“Apparently not. But we already knew we weren’t identical in every way. This is just the first time we’ve been free to choose for ourselves.”
They also hadn’t told each other what they were doing. Each of them had done this of their own volition. All the times he’d imagined what life might look like after they’d escaped, he’d never considered that his choices wouldn’t be the same as Fyr’enth’s.
Kalan abandoned that line of thought for now. He wasn’t in the mood for deep thoughts or hard conversations.“I chose well. I’m not sure about your choices. The boots are good, but the hair?”He rocked one hand from side to side.“We should ask Hezza which of us looks better now.”
“Winner gets more bacon?” Fyr’enth asked out loud as he handed over one of the stools from the cubby.
“Deal.”
“Winner of what?” Hezza asked.
They turned to find her setting a large platter laden with flat discs of something golden and fluffy on the table.
“We want you to decide which of us did the better job with our new looks,” Kalan said.
“And then I want to know what those are,” Fyr’enth pointed to the platter.
Hezza ignored the part about her judging them and focused on the food. “Those are pancakes. You eat them with melted butter, syrup, or fruit preserves. I usually add all three and let them fight it out for dominance, but you can experiment. Sit down, I’ll bring the rest of the meal over.” She smiled. “And no, there will be no contest for whose makeover came out best. You both look incredible. In fact, I want to know how you came up with the looks you chose.”
“I asked the AI to show me current styles popular with males of all species. I liked this one. The bot that delivered my clothes stayed to assist me with the haircutting process with the AI’s guidance.”
Kalan snorted with surprise. “You let a machine cut your hair?”
“I allowed the AI to do it, yes.” Fyr’enth glowered at him. “How else could I manage to do the back?”
“And that is why I bought an upgrade for the AI years ago. It cuts my hair, too. Even in the back where it’s hard to reach.” Hezza returned to the table with two more large plates stacked with food.
“If one of you could get the knives and forks, that would be helpful. They’re in the top drawer next to the space where you found the stools.”
“I’ll get them,” Kalan offered. “And I will help with the food. You do not have to do everything yourself, Hezza. You’re paying us as members of the crew. Let us do something to earn that.”
He rose and went to the drawer she’d indicated. Inside were a variety of utensils. Some he recognized, but others were a complete mystery. He’d have to ask about those another time.
“These are metal,” he said as he retrieved the knives and forks she’d asked for. The knives all had rounded blades that were too dull to do much damage, but he could still stab someone with one. The forks were possibly more dangerous still.
“They are. Cheap to make, easy to clean, and they don’t wear out.” Hezza’s eyes widened. “And I bet you weren’t allowed access to anything that could be used as a weapon.”
“You would be right,” he said. Returning to the table, he handed a set of utensils to Fyr’enth before placing another set in a small, empty space where he assumed Hezza would sit.
Fyr’enth put his cutlery down and went back to his job of taking whatever Hezza handed him and finding a place for it on the quickly filling table.
“Do either of you know what coffee is?” Hezza asked once the plates of food were all laid out.
“I’ve heard about it on vids and in books, but they never gave us anything other than water,” Kalan said.
“Hmm. Then maybe we’ll leave that for another time. Take a seat, Fyr. I’ll grab us a couple of types of fruit juice so you can try them. If you don’t like any of them, there’s always water.”
“So many choices,” Kalan murmured as he watched Hezza program her requests into the machine she called a food dispenser. He planned to ask her how to use it soon. He’d seen it making the stack of pancakes and now their drinks, so he assumed it could provide them with other items. He intended to try them all.
When Hezza was finally in her seat, they all tucked into a feast the likes of which he’d never imagined.
“This is glorious,” Fyr’enth declared around a mouthful of bacon.
“If I had known that real food was this good, I’d have tried harder to escape.”
“Did you do that?” Hezza asked in a gentle voice. “Escape, I mean.”
It felt strange to be able to talk openly about this. “Honestly? No. In the beginning, we didn’t have the will to try. Later, it was obvious we’d never make it off the station. Even if we’d reached the hangar bays, neither of us knows how to pilot a ship, and the AIs on board would not have obeyed us since we weren’t crew.”
