Story #229 - Scanner

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As the room cooled down around us, I realized I probably should have suggested we go back to her place instead of mine. I hadn't had guests for quite some time, and aside from the empty food containers, I'd been lax on exactly where I was storing my dirty clothes. The bed, thankfully, was clean – or at least it was before we got to it – since I'd just changed the sheets.

For a long moment I lay there in the fuzzy darkness that city streetlights through windows always produce, not looking at her, not touching her, but instead reveling in what had just happened, in what I'd never considered a possibility even four hours ago. A gentle brush of her fingertips on my shoulder brought my attention back, and I rolled over to meet her green eyes. She was as beautiful as I remembered from my school days; perhaps more so now that she had the curves of a woman to match the face of an angel. Melanie had changed more than in body, though, something that had been apparent as soon as she walked in the door to the office earlier on that day. Even now, there was something behind the eyes, something past the glinting jade of her irises that gave me pause. She'd been ferocious, determined from the moment I met her again, and something about it just didn't add up. Why would she seek me out, after all these years, just for this? I mean, it had been great, but...

“Mel,” I said, and she wrinkled her nose.

“Melaine, please.” She corrected me in a sultry tone.

“Melanie,” I amended hastily, “can I ask you something?”

“Sure,” she said, stretching as she spoke, and what I had wanted to say very nearly left my conscious mind as I ran my eyes over her body again. Damn, but she was spectacular.

“I, uh, well, the thing is...” I hesitated. “Why me? I mean, you're so -” I gestured toward her toned, fit shape, “and I'm -” I looked down at my slightly bulging belly and the remnants of what had once been sculpted arms. “Was this just for old time's sake? A trip down memory lane?” Even if that was the case, it was good enough for me. I'd been going through a dry spell of late, and she had broken it with a raging thunderstorm.

She laughed, a deep, throaty thing, and then moved quickly, straddling and pinning me to the bed. “Not quite, Alan,” she purred, “not quite.” Her eyes flashed a silver color, and I could feel the thighs she had locked around me go cold.

Fool! I cursed myself. I should have seen this coming.

***

The office was quiet, more than it should have been for a Thursday morning, but that was alright with me. New changes to travel laws meant more and more citizens were coming to get their passports updated, and many weren't happy when I told them about new restrictions. The thing that got most of them was the need for a vial of blood – something they could easily obtain from their doctors, but that went against what they perceived to be their freedoms. As much as the measure to require biological data has been controversial, it had been necessary once the first robotic rebellion had taken place. Even after the 'bots had been put back where they belonged, there was a realization that they had very nearly the same freedom as real humans, especially when it came to travel. A bio-policy meant only true humans would be able to enjoy the use of a passport, and any rogue machines would be grounded while the army searched them out.

I'd been working on clearing up a backlog of files when she walked in, red hair curled just like I remembered it.

“Melanie!” I said, crossing the floor to met her at the counter. “Is that really you?”

She broke into a smile when she saw me, and I almost missed a step. In college, she had been the object of my affection, and since that time she'd shown up in at least half of my dreams. There was no way any man could forget someone like Mel.

“Alan!” She said brightly. “I didn't know you worked here! How are you?”

We exchanged pleasantries as she handed me her documents, and I did my best not to leer openly at her body. She wasn't wearing anything even close to revealing, but didn't seem to mind clothes that hugged her curves, something I could appreciate.

A few minutes of idle conversation passed, and I reached my least favorite part of the process.

“Mel,” I said quietly, “I'm going to need -”

“This?” She drew out a vial of red liquid.

“Yes,” I breathed a quick sigh and took the small glass tube. “Thank you. Now, if you'll just put your thumb on the scanner.”

I was busy getting her file ready for processing, and didn't notice the warning on the screen. “Invalid print” it said in bold letters, and I frowned.

“Mel, can you try it again?” I said, “This thing is finicky.”

“Sure!” She said brightly, and removing her thumb and then rubbing it on her skirt. “Let's try that.”

The computer thought for a moment, whirred, then thought some more, and finally came back with a “valid print”, though even for a machine, it didn't seem too sure of itself. There was a small warning light in the top right-hand corner of the screen, and I leaned forward.

“Alan,” Mel said, and I glanced away, struck by the shimmering jade in her eyes. “What are you doing after work?”

“Me?” I stammered, “Nothing, I -” I glanced at the clock, “I'm actually off in about five minutes.”

She smiled. “My lucky day. Did you want to get some dinner?”

I felt my heart jump into my throat as I pressed the “Accept” button on the screen. Mel seemed different than I remembered, more forward, but I wasn't about to complain.

- D