Little Dancer

Nazilla and Samara Crichton investigate Playful Ballet. Nazilla finds someone who begins to test her in many different ways.

We had completed the act of lovemaking hours ago. Samara, my love, had gone to sleep quickly after. I liked to see that I could still make her happy even without being human. The thought that I couldn't keep her happy sexually had troubled me, no matter how far back in my mind it had been. However, pleasing her sexually was only half of the problem that I had now solved.


The other half was pleasing myself sexually. Even though Samara and I had gone at it with more passion than ever before, I couldn't get anything out of it. I couldn't even get off even a little. My M-4 body was able to tell what parts were being touched, how I should react, and what I should do with Samara to pleasure her even more. But not how I could be pleased.


I thought that knowing the emotions would make me feel them. But that had proven to be a false hope. It had also been a false hope that I would even get to see Samara again. Turning over I took in her form. With my sensors I could see her better than ever before.


There was no question in my mind, though, I loved her. Even more deeply than before. She had taken me back even after my change from human to enemy. But sexual compatibility was something that had to be taken into account. For now all that mattered was that Samara was pleasured and so my pleasure was secondary. Besides, seeing sex from a Machine's perspective was very interesting.


* * *



"I kept this for you." Samara said and handed me a box. The morning light was just beginning to come through the windows in the kitchen. I had been slightly dissappointed that Samara had chosen a more Spartan design for the curtains.


I scanned the box and couldn't believe what my sensors were telling me. I quickly opened it and my Mickey Mouse waffle maker looked up at me. The only reason that I didn't break down crying was the fact that it would've taken too much effort. I was too caught up by the moment to think about doing anything.


I handed it to her. "You use it now."


"Still as lazy as ever, Naz." Samara joked and took the waffle maker.


"No, I want to look in the paper. I need to know what's been going on in the world." I replied and a worried look started to grow on Samara's face.


"You know there is the internet."


"Yes, but this will give you a feeling of normalcy. As well as reminding me that I was human once."


Samara put a hand on my shoulder and looked me in the eyes. "You're still human to me." She finished her sentence with a kiss and I returned it.


I got the paper from the driveway and then went back into the kitchen. The news wasn't that exciting. Though that was a good thing. I didn't need something exciting to happen now. For a few minutes this continued, but an article caught my attention.


I decided to be kind and waited for Samara to be finished with our waffles. Once she put the plates down on the table, I handed the paper to her. She looked at it for a few seconds and finally asked, "What are you trying to make me see?"


"Playful Ballet." I replied. "The new security system seems to be run by something like an M-1."


"You know that The Net uses its supplies for more than taking over the world. They're also a business."


"I know, I've worked for them for three years, Sam." I replied. "However, The Net usually sells the M-1s as more normal sounding chips. The description in the article just seems to be different than normal."


A small smile appeared across Samara's face. "At least some things never change."


"Of course my courage will never change." I replied.


"I was referring to your insistance on be annoying."


I smiled back at her. "So will I go alone?"


"Never, Nazilla." She said and we started to eat our breakfast with plans of researching Playful Ballet afterwards.
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"I am not going. She will be there." Samara said.


"Don't worry, just because Glau is there doesn't mean you'll actually have to deal with her." I replied.


"She is my ex, Naz. She's my big ex."


"You're not being logical, Sam." I said and waited for the conversation to go exactly the same way again. It had been going the same way for hours. For an M-4 it wasn't a long time, but this mission had to start soon.


"You're a Machine now, Nazilla, you can't understand what this means to me." Samara said. Well, at least that was showing an improvement. Improvement meaning change.


"I do have a human side to me, Samara, and it's confusing that part too."


"You can't make me go on a mission that is probably not going to lead to The Net." As Samara said that I thought of a loophole. A loophole that would play on Samara's fears to make her move forward.


I crossed my arms and sighed. "How about you wait outside Playful Ballet in case I need a quick getaway?"


Samara looked at me and I could see that she was confused. She didn't want to meet Glau, an ex of hers, and yet she didn't want me to die again. Hell, i didn't want to die again. Though death didn't seem so scary for me now.


After a minute of waiting Samara said, "Seems like a fair comprimise to me."



***



"Are you sure you want to go in there alone?" Samara asked as she drove behind the building.


"I am." I said and got out when the car stopped. "Just be here when I come out."


Samara nodded and I turned to go into the building. I checked my clothing and then entered the building. I knew that if I accted correctly the people would think that I was a cleaning lady. Not just because of my acting but because I was dressed like one.
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I felt guilty about leaving Samara out there alone to worry about me. And I wondered if The Net would capture her while she was waiting for me. But that was a worry a human would think about until the mission was over. I had thought about the likelihood and quickly decided that it wouldn't happen.


Besides, I had to focus most of my attention on finding anything related to The Net. After five minutes I was in an office that must have been for the technical crew. The crew that ran the things behind the scenes so that the members of Playful Ballet could put on a good show.


On one desk there was a computer that was full of a normal person's office things. However, it was lacking any personal effects. From what I knew of office people, they liked to mark their territory. They liked to have pictures of their families and little knicknacks that are important to them littering their desks. This desk, however, didn't have any of that.


On the walls of the room were generic motivational posters. More generic than any I had ever seen before. Suspicious, but the desk was more of a warning sign than the posters. Walking around the room I saw equipment that was powered by things like M-1s, but not the same thing. I walked back to the desk.


My scanners detected something giving off an odd signal from beneath the desk. I went down on my knees and crawled under. Where a part of the desk comes out, that the keyboard is situated on, I see a strange marking. I start to scan it since I realize it's where the unusual signal is coming from.


"Nazilla, is that you?" A voice says to me. If I were still human I would've banged my head on the desk before I was able to turn around and look at the person. But, as an M-4, I could tell that the voice was a female and then I turned to look at her.


I started to scan her with the normal scanners I have, but they didn't work. It was as though Glau's, who I easily identified, was hidden in a shroud of mystery. As though she was so mysterious that her mere presence could not be taken in by mere scanners. That nothing The Net could think up could ever identify her.


But I knew that wasn't logical. It was likely that she had injected Scam into her system. Scam was usually used to hide that someone was a Machine from scanners. But Glau's facial reactions seemed too human. Of course she could be an M-3 or M-4. But Glau's confusion and fear weren't anything an M-3, who would want me to be comforted, would allow to break through their face.


"I'm not Nazilla. I'm Sammantha. I'm the new cleaning lady." I told Glau. "Who are you?"


Glau laughs. "Why are you lying, Nazilla?" She asks. "You're Samara's new girlfriend. How is she?"
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I didn't know how to reply to Glau now. I wanted to rush out, knock her out, but damage had already been done. She looked at me and knew she held me in her hands. What was strange was that she doesn't have a cruel look on her face but one of surprise. A new emotion that wasn't there before.


"Just tell me what you want, Glau." I said without emotion in my voice. I didn't want to change her mind with anger, because I felt that would destroy her fragile mind.


Glau started to blush and I realized where this might be going. "You go out with me to lunch, Nazilla, and I won't tell anyone you were here today." She said and I felt relief. Just lunch. Nothing too big and I might be able to get information out of her.


"Yes." I replied simply. Just that one word. I tried to give that one word a tone of hopefulness to make sure Glau kept her word.


The next few minutes were full of making plans of where this lunch would be. The lunch that could lead Samara and I closer to defeating The Net. Minor, yes, but something to do. Something that I could do to feel like I was helping. A very human emotion, but one I didn't mind feeling.


When I walked out to Samara, I felt like I had accomplished something. Not much, less than nothing, but more than I had done in three years.


As soon as I got into the car, Samara asked me, "What did you find out?"


"There is a high likelihood that Playful Ballet is connected to The Net." I said and added, when we pulled out of the parking lot, "I have a contact that I will meet for lunch tomorrow."


"Who is this contact?" Her voice was now suspcious and any form of worry was gone from her body.


"Your old girlfriend: Glau."


"You're not going." Samara's voice gave more certainity than any Machine I had ever met.


"It's our best chance to not get caught and get a contact inside." I replied.


"She asked to go out lunch with you. To lunch!"


"Of course. It is low key."


"You're still human enough to know that she is trying to get you."


"The only way a relationship could form between us is if I let my emotions stray from you." I said and put a hand on Samara's shoulder and massaged it. I didn't stop until she relaxed.
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There is only one person in the world I trust now. Turning my head slightly I could see her in all her glory. Unlike Glau, the beauty in her was how much I knew about her. That person was Samara Crichton. She had put the jealousy behind her, at least for the moment, so that I could have a backup when I met with Glau today.


It had been a long and hard argument, but we had finally reached an agreement. The fact that the restuarant was a hole in the wall, so wasn't that noticable to most of the public, made Samara uneasy enough to be my backup.


She stopped before the alley. "I will come get you if I think there is even a hint of danger."


I looked at her and made my mouth form a smirk. "I am much stronger now. I will be fine." Leaning my face towards her, she comforted herself with my kiss to her.


As I walked to the restaurant I went over where my weapons were. The sound was nearly silent but I was more than alerted to an ambush. Raising my gun I shot at an M-2 and my shot was echoed by Samara's gun. I put all human emotions aside and went into attack mode.


I shot at an M-2's battery, that had become visible due to previous shots to it, and the resulting explosion affected all those near it.


"I'm still human!" Samara yelled and I spent a second to notice she was recovering from the blast. I then put her human weaknesses information as a higher priority. My Machine side just cared about the victory of a mission.


An M-3, having the skin of a black man, knocked the gun out of my hand and pushed me down. I heard gunshots from where Samara had been, but I couldn't help her now. Once I was down on my back I kicked the M-3 in the stomach and it went back a few feet into a wall.


As it recovered and came towards me, I picked up my gun and shot its head. The M-3 then fell back and shut down. It shut down forever. After that I didn't take too much notice of what I was shooting at, as long as it was a Machine I made it shut down forever.


I heard Samara yell out in pain and I rushed towards her. All but one Machine had been destroyed. Scanning it, I couldn't figure out what kind it was. It had human skin on it, but it didn't show up as an M-3 or an M-4. Once I shoot at it, though, my scanners identified it as an M-3. Must have had Scram in its system. Or some new technology.


None of my bullets hit it, but I got my chance to get to Samara and carry her away. Looking back I saw the M-3 just standing there. Its companions were dead so I shouldn't have been surprised that it didn't chase us.


Samara's fitful breathing distracted me from thinking anymore about it and I ran.
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I couldn't describe my feelings about what had happened to Samara during the ambush. Mainly because some of the emotions were too new to me, even after three years of being an M-4, that I didn't know what I was experiencing. I hoped having to patch up Samara's wounds would take all of my concentration for now. But that couldn't happen since I could think about many things at once.


Every little twitch of pain she made reminded me that I didn't know how to fight with humans. Machines could handle a lot and didn't need to concern themselves with their comrades. With humans, though, you had to be much more concerned with their health since they weren't as durable. Though that wasn't really the full and correct explanation.


"Don't you remember how we used to fight? How you didn't harm me with your attacks?" Samara asked while she sat on the couch in her living room.


"In a part of my memory, yes." I told her. "But, when I took orders from The Net, I got used to fighting using a program. The program has preprogrammed settings, that I can adjust, but is there so I don't have to put too much effort into fighting."


"So you don't have to think. So you can harm without worry."


I wanted to reply against this, but I knew that she was right. I could argue against it, but everything returned to the same thing: The Net didn't worry about losing property since they could manafacture more Machines. So they made a Machine's fighting program reflect that fact. I was still controlled by The Net even after I had escaped.


"I updated the program." I said as I finished patching her up.


"But we have another problem." Samara said and I nodded. "We have to tell Karma HQ about Playful Ballet."


"It's a danger to humanity." I said. "But then you'll also have to tell Karma about me. And they won't take kindly to me. We won't be able to hide the fact that I'm an M-4 to the end of the war with The Net."


"I will protect you, Naz, don't worry." I wish I could take her comfort. But that wasn't logical.


"I don't think you can without being kicked out of Karma." I said. Samara knew what that meant. No one got out of Karma, as a traitor, alive.


"That won't happen. I'll have someone confirm that you are safe." Samara said and I realized I couldn't ask for more. Not even me running away would protect her.


We embraced each other and took comfort in each other. Me in her warm body and her in my cold skin. After a few minutes of the embrace Samara looked me in the eyes. She seemed worried.


"What is it, Sam?" I asked.


"Do you love Glau?" She replied.


I shook my head. "I only am attracted to her mystery. And, when that mystery is revealed, my interest in her will be gone. The only one I want to be with is you. And if I ever lose you again I won't be alive."


Samara smiled sadly. "But part of you does want to be with her. Even though we know that Glau set you up. She tried to kill you."


I shook my head. "She didn't try to kill me or you. Somehow, someone got Glau to tell them that information. I don't think she has it in her to be evil. Some people can't be evil, or bad, no matter how hard they try."


"She didn't join Karma."


"That doesn't mean she'd work for The Net. Just because you aren't in Karma doesn't mean you're less than human." I replied and there was silence.