Angel

By Becca Sinh
Smashwords Edition

Copyright 2011 Becca Sinh

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Computer knew everything. That was just a simple fact of life.

So when Computer suddenly flashed a warning light that the girl had never seen before, and the Outside viewscreen came to life, she stopped everything, and turned around to stare in confusion.

An emotion she didn’t recognize as budding excitement coiled through her flat belly as she watched a strange shape move across the gigantic screen. Nothing existed Outside except the endless hills and mountains of deep snow and ice. Nothing had existed Outside in all her lifetime. Nothing could exist Outside!

Could it?

Eagerly she leaned forward, and rested both hands on the angled console. “Computer, what is that?”

‘It is a manned vehicle.’

Computer’s voice was always low and sweet. The girl liked the way it sounded. But she’d never heard a note of confusion in that gentle voice before.

She knew what a vehicle was, of course. She lived in one herself, with Computer as her sole companion. The Vehicle kept her safe from the frigid snow and ice. Computer provided food, and entertainment, and friendship.

Until this moment, she’d thought that her life was complete. But she’d never even imagined that another vehicle might exist Out There, in the vast emptiness. It was so foreign to her solitary existence that for several long minutes she was unable to comprehend the implications.

It wasn’t until the strange-looking vehicle, so much tinier than her own huge one, slowed to a stop, and a tall figure emerged from its silvery side, that she suddenly understood. “It’s another person!”

Never in her life had she seen another actual person, or believed that such a thing was even possible! She’d seen videos, of course, of the Before Time, when her Vehicle had been home to several hundred people. Before the land Outside had turned so bitterly cold and deadly. Before the awful disaster had killed everyone else, leaving only her behind.

Computer had found her wedged into a tiny crevice several hundred meters from the battered Vehicle, filthy and half-starved and nearly frozen to death. Its delicate robotic digits had gently pried her from the rough rocky niche, and carried her inside to warmth and food and safety. Since then, caring for the settlement’s sole survivor had become Computer’s single reason for existing.

If food was needed, Computer provided it. When the girl required knowledge, Computer accessed its immense databanks and devised study classes. Holos provided phantom companions that could be seen and heard, but not touched. They were a poor imitation for the original busy settlement...but as the girl had never known anything different, they served their purpose admirably. She’d grown up with a thousand happy, laughing playmates...and none of the pain that acute loneliness could have caused.

A real other person! Her heart beat quickly with rising excitement.

“Track its movements!”

‘His movements.’ Computer’s correction was automatic. ‘Based on height, weight, and body mass, the person Outside appears to be a young adult male.’

The girl had seen holos of male persons before. She knew that some males grew fur on their faces, just as some females grew their hair long. Computer had never been able to explain why only males could grow fur. Eagerly she wondered whether this one would have face fur, and whether he’d be willing to explain that mystery to her.

Obediently Computer moved an Outside sensor, keeping the silver-suited figure in close sight. It...he...did look taller than her, the girl realized, as she leaned closer to stare at the big monitor. Broader, too, in the shoulders. What other differences would she notice, under his heavy coverings?

“What if he leaves again?” Sudden panic filled her at the thought, and she spun around to grab at her own pressurized protective suit. “Computer, cycle the locks and let me Outside.”

Outside was brutally inhospitable, and she rarely ventured into the icy blowing snow. But there was no real danger, as long as her suit’s integrity remained intact. So Computer obliged her urgent request, then wisely sealed the hatchway behind her.

The wind was strong, and she had to brace herself against the outer hull to keep from being blown over. A high static charge kept snow from clinging to her curving faceplate. Moving quickly, the girl shuffled through the nearest drift, following the stranger’s deep path. He was wading through the snow slowly, searching for something with the instrument clutched in his gloved fist. In moments, she was nearly at his side.

He turned so suddenly that she almost stumbled backwards in surprise. And the look of stunned shock on his face nearly made her laugh. “Come inside!” She waved toward the vehicle’s curving side, and daringly reached out to grip his arm. “Hurry!”

“Who are you?” His voice echoed, much as hers did, through his suit’s tinny speakers. “What are you doing here?”

“I live here!” Urgently she tugged on his arm. “Hurry inside, where it’s warm!”

He was too baffled to resist. And in mere moments, they were stumbling through the open airlock, and watching as Computer closed it again with a decisive snick.

Immediately the girl tugged off her helmet. Long golden hair tumbled out, falling nearly to her waist. “Brrr!” She shivered, then tossed him a cheery grin. “I always forget how cold it is Outside! Who are you, and where have you come from?”

“I should be asking you the same thing.” His voice altered suddenly as he unsnapped his own helmet, and the suit’s speakers shut off. “I never expected to find survivors! How many colonists live here with you?”

“I’m the only one here, other than Computer.” She continued to strip as she spoke, and neatly hung her protective suit on its hook against the wall. “How did you...”

She turned back around, then blinked as he stared at her, slack-jawed. “What’s the matter?”

“You... Don’t you wear any clothes?” His deep voice sounded strangled.

The girl looked down at her naked body in confusion. It was slender in most places, and lushly curving in other areas. The pale curls between her legs were short and soft. She’d never really considered it as anything but an efficient means to move across the room. Was it really so displeasing to this stranger that he preferred her to hide it?

“Why would I need to wear clothes, when it’s so warm Inside? They’d only get dirty, or in the way.”

The helmet was dangling in his hand, and he was looking at her in the strangest way! The girl felt a sudden, baffling explosion of liquid heat swirl through her stomach. “You need to finish removing your protective suit, so you can come into the Central Lounge.

“Computer! Would you please prepare food for our guest?” She was rather proud that she could still remember the ancient welcoming ritual so well. “Anything I have is yours for the asking.”