He turned on his belly and sighed. His life was nothing but a dead end. When did that happen? When had his dreams ended in the gutter? He could not even remember them. Shifting from one side to the other, he grew increasingly frustrated. Had he always been a quitter?
Chances were that Xana was going to pay him handsomely. With that kind of money, he was going to live just as he wanted.
The thought suddenly lost its shine. Alone, he was just going to be alone, with no one to call family. But wasn’t this the reason why he had come here in the first place? Because there were no strings he would have had to cut? And it had been kind of like the last train for him, anyway. He wasn’t getting any younger and soon enough he was going to lose his appeal.
Going under the knife was going to help him look beautiful and young for years, with the new technologies, but he was growing tired on the inside, and, for that, no surgery had yet been invented.
“May I help you with something, young master?” The bot stopped by him.
“No,” he said shortly.
It was like the bot was growing tired with his fidgeting, and just wanted Riordan out of his hair.
“You haven’t yet had the first meal of the day, young master,” the bot remained stubbornly by the foot of the bed.
“It’s called breakfast,” Riordan mumbled. “I never eat breakfast.”
“Master Xana insists that you should eat well,” the bot continued.
“Fine.” Riordan rolled his eyes. “What’s on the menu?”
The bot didn’t reply, but disappeared for a few seconds, only to return with a silver platter, on which, nicely, various foods were placed. He chose only one item.
“Master Xana insists that you should eat more.” The bot stood with the plate stretched in front of him.
“Okay,” he agreed and grabbed a second item, this time something that looked like filled with calories and superb taste.
He was right. The croissant like thing tasted like heaven. Was Xana right? He was not going to get fat? Maybe he should ask Tasha.
“Is there any possibility to contact someone?”
“Off world?” the bot asked dutifully.
“No, here.”
“Who? I’ll make the contact right away.”
“Ah, I only know his first name. Never mind, I guess it’s not enough.”
“I can identify the person, young master.”
“Are you making fun of me? I’m not young.”
“You are 29 years old. You are not yet middle aged.”
“You’re such a good bot, aren’t you?” Riordan laughed.
“I am pleased to serve. Please, young master, the name of the person you want to contact.”
“Oh, it’s Tasha, but I don’t think…”
“Tasha O’Brien, bearer, property of His Royal Chancellor Marn Savier. Is this the person?”
“Yeah, and that was awesome!” Riordan didn’t hide his excitement.
“I will leave a message,” the bot replied. “At the moment, His Royal Chancellor is engaged in coitus with his bearer.”
Riordan sputtered the food in his mouth all over the plate.
“TMI, mister robot.” He snickered. “So, if someone calls here, you will just casually say that me and Xana are fucking?”
“I am not authorized to give such details.”
“You just told me Tasha gets railed by his owner!”
“Human bearers have a natural curiosity towards the sexual schedule of their counterparts. I found it fitting to let you know. Anyone else would not have had that kind of clearance.”
“Good to know,” Riordan murmured.
“What message should I leave, young master?”
“Just… To call me when he’s free.”
“Done,” the bot confirmed. “May I ask you a question, young master?”
“Shoot.”
“Where? And what?”
“Huh?”
“You gave me the order to shoot.”
“Are you armed?”
“Only with basic non-lethal weaponry.”
“Wow. Oh, sorry, what I wanted to say was to ask away, whatever you wanted to ask.”
“What does TMI mean?”
“Too much information. Don’t tell me you don’t have all the lingo already installed.”
“I learn. This is how I gain knowledge. And master Xana considered that I only needed a few basic phrases to start. He told me that you might not be very comfortable around me, so there had to be no need to add an extensive vocabulary to my database. I can extend it, if you will.”
“Hey, I feel like I’m going to get bored a lot, while Xana is not around to drill me. And by that, I mean fucking, not actually using a drilling machine, okay?”
“Okay,” the bot replied, and Riordan felt like the machine sounded a tiny beer cheerful when saying that.
“Do you know the term fucking?” Riordan wondered out loud.
“I heard you and master using it. I understand the meaning. It is copulation.”
“Yeap,” Riordan agreed. “Hey, do you think I can ask you some things?”
“Of course, I am here to help you and assist you in all aspects of your daily life.”
“What happens with human bearers once, you know, deliver the egg and all that?”
“They retire.”
“Alright, but what does that mean?”
“They are given accommodations, a monthly expenditure, and anything else they may require.”
“Some may still want to get back to Earth, right?”
“No.”
“What do you mean, no?”
He was starting to have a bad feeling about this.
“Human bearers cannot return to Earth. They are too precious.”
“Oh, shit,” Riordan murmured to himself.
“Do you need to relieve yourself, young master?”
“What? No! Tell me more about why I cannot go back to Earth.”
“From the moment your body enters in contact with seth, your internal chemistry modifies. You will need it regularly, for your entire lifespan.”
“What? So do I have to live with this fucker until I die?”
“Just to confirm. The fucker is master Xana?”
“Yeah, he’s the fucker, because apparently he just screwed me over.”
“Screwed?”
“I’ll explain it later. So I have to suck on Xana’s tail or otherwise I kick the bucket?”
“Why would you kick the bucket? What bucket?”
“Oh, fuck! No, don’t ask me now if I’m in the mood for fucking. Do I need to eat that thing every day?”
“Not every day, and it doesn’t have to be master’s. Seth is sold in most regular shopping venues. For human bearers, it is free.”
Riordan held his head in his hands and groaned.
“What did I get myself into?”
“I don’t know how to answer that question.”
“I don’t hold it against you… How should I call you?”
“My model number is XZT-5490.”
“Too difficult. I’ll call you Kyle.”
“What does Kyle mean?” the bot asked.
“It’s a human name. It’s just easier for me.”
“Okay,” the bot agreed.
“Do you hate it? I can think up of other names,” Riordan offered.
“No, I love it.” This time the bot sounded a tad excited.
“Good. So, Kyle, it looks like I’m stuck here. What do retired bearers usually do?”
“They usually get involved with the entertainment business.”
“Do they fuck for cash?”
“Yes, some of them. Others, those with a decent IQ, are included in the local administration, for basic tasks.”
“Not many career paths available. Either I become a prostitute or a clerk.”
“You can teach other bearers about what they should do when they first come here,” the bot offered.
“That means I only have to tell them to suck cock well and prepare their asses for the fucking of their lives.”
“A bearer’s role is more complex than just getting fucked,” the bot replied in his even, no nonsense voice.
“How so?”
“You can use this time spent with master Xana to create a connection. This could last a lifetime.”