CHAPTER 10

Jain and Solaria

THRILLED TO KNOW Solaria was alive and well, Jain felt an overwhelming sense of relief. Six months was too long to be out of contact with her friend. Friend! If her associates knew Solaria was a Hubot, they would think Jain was crazy to consider a bio-mechanical creation in such a manner. As if they would believe a Hubot even existed, Jain thought, especially one as handsome as Solaria. Now, if I could just get her into my bed for some hanky-panky. Jain laughed. The thought was absurd. Solaria wasn't interested in sex. Besides, Jain would be the last one she'd turn to — after all, even Hubots knew the difference between good-looking and plain... and Jain was plain. Short and fat, with an average face, she had no illusions about her looks.

Except for my smile. I do have great teeth.

Jain giggled. What an absurd conversation she was having with herself. Yawning, she stood up and headed to the bathroom. Tomorrow was another workday and she needed a cold shower. Thinking of Solaria had stirred up some rather uncomfortable hormones. Perhaps fixing dinner for her and the dog would distract her from her lusty thoughts.

*  *  *

Rummaging through the refrigerator, Jain pulled out leftover meatloaf, cottage cheese and two cloverleaf rolls. After putting everything on the table, she grabbed a large plate and a saucer.

"I hope you like meatloaf and cottage cheese," she said, glancing down at the dog sitting patiently at her feet, watching her. "At least you have manners. Someone trained you well."

The dog cocked her head at a slight angle and woofed once. Golden-brown eyes stared at Jain intently for a few seconds and then blinked once.

"Is that yes, you were trained well or yes, you like meatloaf and cottage cheese?" Jain asked.

The dog barked twice.

"Okay then. That's either yes to both questions or you've chosen door number two." Filling the small dish with food, she placed it on the floor next to her chair and then sat down to eat her own dinner. Before she could take the first bite, she was interrupted by another woof. Looking down, she saw the saucer was empty.

"Damn! You are hungry. Here's another slice. If you finish this one before I'm done, you're going to have to wait. I want to enjoy my meal... something you obviously haven't learned yet." A low whine made her feel a little guilty.  "I'm just kidding. Eat as fast as you want."

The dog wagged her tail happily and began eating... slowly this time. Jain smiled.

"You learn quickly."

Turning back to her plate, she ate her own supper, occasionally glancing down at the dog. It continued to eat, taking little bites, chewing each one several times before swallowing. Then it would hesitate, look up at her and take the next bite.

Dogs don't eat like that, she thought. At least none that I've ever seen.

Reaching down, she handed the dog part of her roll. It tentatively took the offering.

"You definitely have manners. Someone must be missing you a lot."

Jain yawned. Exhausted, she decided to take a shower and call it a night. As a librarian, most of her time was spent filing away old books that had been returned, or assisting people with computers. Normally, it was a boring job but one she enjoyed. Occasionally, though, something exciting would happen. Jain smiled. Very exciting, she thought, remembering her first encounter with Solaria.

*  *  *

Solaria had come to the library to use the computers. Her insistence on using the same one every day aroused Jain's curiosity. Jain quickly discovered the settings had been tampered with and decided to investigate. When she backtracked the computer's history, she accidently hacked into the database of a company called Future Dynamicon. Homeland Security arrived the next day, but not before Jain had switched out the hard drive. Her dislike of the telecommunication company and the government made her want to protect Solaria, at least until she could learn more about the woman. The decision changed her life forever.

She discovered Solaria was a Hubot, part human, part machine. With her programmer's help, Solaria had escaped from Future Dynamicon. Jain and Solaria eventually uncovered documents providing detailed information on the existence of at least one other Hubot, and eventually tracked her down. Later, Jain returned to her boring life as a librarian. Betta decided to explore her evolving human emotions by protecting Joanie, a sheik's daughter that she had been guarding for Future Dynamicon. Solaria went in search of other Hubots and Jain returned to work.