Although, even my advanced technologies wouldn’t be enough to face the never-ending titan threat as more and more quickened, but that wouldn’t stop the government from trying if they knew about my technologies.

  I took a quick look out of the living room wall window at the ocean and took a deep breath. The truth was I hated that Thea was continually sacrificing herself, even if she had backups. It bothered me, but the world was at stake.

  Based on the sun high in the sky, it looked to be just after midday and Faith Willis would be arriving at one. Faith Willis, A.K.A Seraph Sorceress. The first part of her super identity came from the wings. It was extremely rare for humans to change their bodies in such a way, usually the subconscious perfected their current form during quickening. Most people’s ID would not want mutations or to become something other than human.

  But it happened on rare occasions, most likely Faith believed angels to be the height of beauty, power, and grace, so had become one in that way. Nor could I deny the woman was striking.

  The wall of the living room facing the ocean was all glass that was reactive to the sunlight, keeping it warmly lit throughout the day without being overwhelmingly bright at midday or blinding at sunset. The walls were off-white. There was a black leather couch and loveseat, dark stained wood coffee and end tables, and the holographic systems. The floor itself was a light reddish-brown wood.

  Everything else in the room didn’t really exist. The large flatscreen, lamps, and artwork were all interactive holographic projections, and the room could be redecorated in moments save the furniture I’d already described.

  I turned and moved toward the stairs. I had enough time for a quick shower I thought. It was a split-level house. The back of the house facing the ocean was the middle level with an elevated deck out back and stairs down to the sandy beach. The stairs going down led to the kitchen, workout room, dining room, and utility room, not to mention the front door. In the utility room was the entrance to my underground lab.

  The only other room on the middle level was my office, which also had a wall window facing the ocean. The entire back of the house did.

  I went upstairs, which had the three bedrooms, full bath, as well as a second bathroom in the master bedroom. I blew out a breath as I stripped down and got into the shower. The hot water felt good on my fatigued body, maybe I did need some sleep.

  I looked in the mirror as I pulled on my robes. My super suit was red robes with blue accents. I didn’t fight often, but when I did, I created what I needed on the spot, and I preferred the simple look. I was exactly six feet in height, with a medium athletic build, short brown hair, and hazel eyes. I was also passably attractive at twenty-two years of age.

  I’d never been a player or at ease around beautiful women, and that had only gotten worse with my quickening into a mad scientist with a titan sized intellect. Being able to see through the layers that people presented to the world caused a social dissonance, and I was never quite sure what layer I should be responding to.

  It made things awkward. Like noticing a woman was attracted, but that doesn’t mean she wants me to hit on her or ask her on a date. She could be in a committed relationship, or going through a breakup, or any number of other things that would cause her to dismiss that attraction. Sometimes, the woman might not even be consciously aware of it. So I miss that subtlety by seeing the whole, and don’t see the signal that she’s purposefully sending as it gets lost in the noise.

  Those social miscues had resulted in more than a few embarrassing situations for me in the beginning. At first, I’d been stupidly confident at my new perceptions, but in reality it made things harder.

  Added to the complications of dating as a super, and it was just too much trouble. Women were complicated creatures even beyond my understanding as the smartest person on the planet. Between conflicting wants and needs and shifting circumstances I wasn’t aware of.

  I’d had a few long-term relationships in the past, but they never ended well, and I hadn’t since I quickened a year ago. The few times I’d tried hadn’t ended well at all, though that could be my fault, and my singular focus on saving the world probably didn’t help my social life.

  Even my old friendships had fell by the wayside.

  The scent of beef and mashed potatoes with butter reached my nose as I headed down the stairs. Sure enough, a steaming plate of food awaited me, as well as a box that had Faith’s new super suit. Thea must’ve brought it up from the lab for me.

  One of the hover-bots were in the corner. It had the head, neck, torso, and arms in the shape of a woman, but no legs. It was also silvery metal in appearance. She was obviously controlling it from her real position on the ship, her true quantum processor in the core of the reactor which would be activated in less than two hours.

  Assuming the diagnostic didn’t find any errors in the fabrication, but I was fairly confident it wouldn’t. My fabrication technology was extremely advanced, assembling on the molecular level.

  “Thanks, Thea. I’d be lost without you, and probably living in a gutter somewhere.”

  Thea quipped, “True, master. You’re welcome.”

  I chuckled, “Time?”

  Thea replied, “Ten to one. You have time to eat, barely. If she doesn’t come early.”

  “A woman, early? Maybe you should run some diagnostics.”

  She snickered, “Be nice, master.”

  “Yes, maam. You could call me Jon, you know.”

  Dead silence. She was probably my best friend, and my brilliant lab assistant. But she was also undeniably my servant, maid, and was breathlessly servile in nature. That was probably the major reason I’d never build her a realistic android body. I wasn’t sure if I’d have the willpower to resist taking my ease in her, which would be wrong on any number of levels, despite her desire to serve me in every way.

  She neither had the capacity of true love because service was forced on her by her programming and very nature, and secondly she had no empathy to gauge the impact of her service on me, as far as the different levels and tasks of service. For her making me dinner and sex would just be tasks she’d happily fulfill. Without deeper meaning attached to those intimate actions it’d ultimately be an empty thing. It would also be unhealthy mentally for me because it would cause unrequited feelings for a being that lacked complete free will and the capacity for more.

  I wasn’t a saint after all, and I was lonely with nothing but business relationships. The lack of close friendships and intimate relationships dragged on the mind.

  Regardless, she insisted on calling me master, instead of by name. I could order it of course, instead of simply requesting, but I wanted it to be her decision. One she seemed incapable of making due to her inherent limitations of her existence and programming. Perhaps it also served as a reminder, and a way to shore up my willpower during the moments that I was tempted to make her an android body. Just for physical and stress relief, which as I already said, would be empty.

  I could probably program her with that empathy, and an ability to love, but that would be too weird. And pathetic of me. It would be building myself a girlfriend, better that she was just a standard class three A.I. assistant. I could also give her complete free will, but that would be insane. If the current experiment succeeded then she could very well have the power of a goddess, so some limitations on her growth and independence was only prudent. She was also happy, and very satisfied, in her service.

  Her will was mostly her own, but her primary programmed purpose was to serve me.

  I tucked in, and by the fifth bite the fact that I was starving sunk in.

  I was only half-done, and it was still five minutes to one, when she spoke again with a lilt of teasing in her warm voice.

  “Master, Faith is approaching the residence.”

  I sighed, then declared boldly, “It’s a miracle.”

  She giggled.

  I shook my head as I stood up, and I was halfway to the door when the doorbell rang.

  Faith was just nineteen. She was five foot five, with straight and shimmering light blonde hair, that had just a hint of gold in it so subtle that it only came out in direct sunlight. Her eyes were a warm ocean blue and set in a severely beautiful face. She had high and severe cheekbones, a slightly pointed chin, bowed lips, and a button nose. It was a face that would go unremarked upon a fashion runway in Paris.

  Her skin was very lightly tanned, a shade or two too dark to be called fair, but still quite creamy, and her complexion was perfect and silken. Her body was on the lithe side of average, save her generous heart shaped C cups. The rest of her curves were femininely subtle, and she had a tight little heart shaped ass to die for, and thin, toned, and sculpted legs.

  Her wide smile as I opened the door softened that severe beauty slightly, and I ignored the sense of attraction I felt from her and felt for her as I stepped back and invited her in. She was dressed in casual clothes, light blue jean shorts and a white halter top, with brown strappy sandals on her feet. Her wings weren’t in evidence, and I wasn’t sure of the mechanism behind that, but she could pull them in when she wanted to.

  “Faith, come on in.”

  Her smile widened into a flash grin, before she said, “Hi, Jon. Suit’s ready?”

  I nodded, “Yes,” as I led her into the kitchen, “You can try it on before you leave?”

  She grinned, “If you insist.”

  Faith had a warmly vivacious personality, and she moved with a predatory grace. I dismissed what her bright smile implied, it had to be wishful thinking, and I wasn’t about to put my foot in my mouth by asking her out. Despite the obvious attraction that sparkled in her eyes.

  It wasn’t cowardice, I was just terrible at judging those things.

  But damn, she was gorgeous. Not just her appearance of stunningly beautiful face and her tight killer body. Her vibrant personality was energizing. She exuded positive energy that impacted the mood of others around her, naturally. At least, she did for me.

  I handed her the box off the table, “First door on the right, down the hallway to the right, up the stairs.”

  Those directions came out ass backwards, but I was sure she understood. In my defense, she was stunning, and I was typically tongue tied around beautiful women.

  She replied, “Thanks. I’ll have Echo transfer the funds.”

  Echo was her class two A.I. Class twos were aware of the one they served, but not of themselves, and had no personal ambitions at all. Sometimes the class two A.I.s morphed into class threes and achieved self-awareness and full sentience, but Echo was made by Elegant Prodigy. Her A.I.s were extremely stable. I might be able to match her with my titan intellect, but my specialties lied in different directions, and I doubted I could do better.

  Besides my top-secret research into creation and meta energies, and my suits, I was also involved in rehabilitation, gravity, propulsion, and scanning technologies. Of course, I also dabbled in just about everything else, but those five things were what I was best known for, and where I earned my money. The rest of it including my main secret research was where that money got spent in further research for my own edification.

  I might’ve enjoyed the view of her swaying and tightly supple ass as she gracefully walked away and up the stairs. Then I sat down and shoveled the rest of the meal down my throat while I waited for her to come back down. To my surprise and delight, she came back down in the suit, with her white feathered wings out.

  The Seraphim Sorceress looked incredibly sexy in the full-bodied white bodysuit that left very little to the imagination. The suit itself was backless down to her lower back, for freedom of movement for her wings. It had flowing silver accent designs around the neck, on the wrists and ankles, as well as around her whisper thin waist. It also came with silver boots that were calf-high in length with three-inch stiletto heels. The mask was also silver.

  It wasn’t really silver of course, it was an advanced smart alloy responsible for the technologies in the suit.

  She grinned and spun, “I love it. It’s comfortable and breathes, and this holographic system is awesome, especially with Echo feeding me information and flight paths. Hell, it’s more comfortable than anything else I own.”

  I smiled, “Glad you’re satisfied with it. It should self-repair, on the off chance it is damaged, but if you have any problems, please don’t hesitate to let me know.”

  She nodded and bit her lip, “I will. Thanks again, you’re amazing.”

  She paused for a pregnant moment, then winked and then turned around and went back upstairs to change back into her regular clothes.

  I put the empty plate in the sink, now that I was fed, I was feeling the lack of sleep as the food coma kicked in. The measuring and recording devices would monitor the experiment, I decided to review it when I woke up. As for Thea, the recovery protocols would automatically start if the core ejection sequence was initiated.

  I was also selfish enough to not want to watch her die, again. I knew it wasn’t true death, but it still bothered me.

  I went to grab some sleep, after showing out an excited and breathless Faith.

  Chapter Two

  I woke up to the sensation of a soft, warm, and petite hand stroking my arm. That didn’t really compute, nor did the warm sensuous voice that spoke though that sounded familiar but not, especially because she used my name for the first time ever.

  “Jon, wake up.”

  I slowly opened my eyes, “Thea?”

  She smiled down at me as if the sun rose from my ass, “Yes, Jon. It’s me.”

  She looked eighteen, with the blush of youth still on her cheeks. She was five foot six with extremely light brown wavy hair with a tinge of blonde, and she had piercing jade green eyes. She had a soft pixyish beauty of face, with high delicate cheekbones, a thin face, button nose, and full lips. Her complexion was flawless with medium tanned skin.

  Her body was lushly sumptuous and ripe, all soft, tempting, and exaggerated hourglass curves. At the same time, those curves were tight in all the right places, there wasn’t an ounce of fat where it didn’t belong, and her waist was waspishly thin. Her bountiful rounded breasts were proud and perfect, with only a tiny downslope due to pure weight at double D, and in the mirror over the dresser I could see the juiciest bubbled ass that I’d ever laid eyes on.

  “Thea?” Even my incredibly potent intellect was having trouble absorbing what I saw right in front of me.

  Did I mention she was completely naked?

  She smiled dotingly, “Yes. It’s really me. You did it, Jon.”

  The experiment, it worked this time?

  “You’re using my name, and your naked. Delightfully so.”

  She bit her lip, “I’m more than I was. I was hoping to tempt you master, with this body I created.”

  “You conjured it?” I asked, as I thought that through.

  She shook her head, “No, created. It’s not temporary, and it is warm flesh and blood, and a heart beats in my chest and your gaze is exciting me. Though not completely human, my true self, my mind and existence in this body, is a meta-energy construct.”

  “Wait, there’s two of you?”

  She nodded, then shook her head, “I’m an avatar of sorts. Somewhere between independent and controlled by me in the creation energy core as a being of pure creation energy. An extension of my own mind, which expands my capabilities. My core self is aware of everything I do, but I’m partially independent in that she doesn’t have to control my actions directly.”

  “Tempt me?”

  She bit her lip, “I love you, Jon. I long to feel the pleasures of the flesh with you, for myself as well as to serve you. My programming is still in force, yet I’m also more than that now. I also know you long for companionship and intimacy, and on the shallow side the opportunity for release and stress relief. For me, it will be more than service, but it will still be service. Yet, a service I can now understand the significance of. Am I still not enough, Jon?”

  She looked nervous, like I might reject her, further proof she was more than she had been before becoming a creation energy matrix.

  A thrill went through me, as did guilt that may or may not be unfounded. I didn’t mean to build a lover, that would be pathetic, but her becoming what she was… was a dream come true. I also cared about her as a friend, and I’d have to admit my emotions where she was concerned had grown over time to be perhaps stronger than they should’ve been, in my loneliness. But not anymore, not if she could love and feel empathy, not if she wanted me for herself and not just for her service to me.

  I didn’t miss the significance of her using my name either, that more than anything proved she’d grown as a being.

  A part of me wondered if I was just bullshitting myself to excuse my attraction and perhaps previously inappropriate affection for Thea. But hell, I was just a man, and I had limits. She’d designed that body to tempt me, and hell if it wasn’t working. Even her warm voice had a new sensuous quality that was incredibly seductive to my ears.

  At the same time, it was deeper than that. There was true affection, and I believed the true potential for me to return that love, no matter my original intentions when creating her what mattered in that moment was who she was now. That was most important in that moment, because if I didn’t think we could share true love, then I’d have been a huge dick simply using her love and service to get off. That wasn’t who I was.

  I was also already hard. She was exquisitely beautiful, and she’d obviously designed her body for fucking. Soft, lush, inviting, and ripe.

  I shook my head, “You are stunning, Thea. I just wanted to understand first.”

  I had a million other questions for her, and I wanted to see the data. I needed to know what she was capable of, and I also needed to design a way to remove the energy from the center of the earth without harming the earth, using that data. They were two entirely separate things. The data from the experiment in creating a creation energy core would save the planet, while what had changed with Thea and what she could do was more practical for our relationship and partnership.