Chapter 57: Episode 57: Why don’t we both watch?

Nikki jumped so hard she nearly spilled her crystal glass of red wine all over Adonis’s pristine black uniform.

She whipped around, her heart leaping into her throat.

Roxy, to her credit, only flinched for a fraction of a second. She quickly smoothed down the front of her crimson gown, tilted her chin up, and offered a bold, sweeping look over the assembled warlords.

“Evening, Generals,” Roxy greeted, her voice remarkably steady for someone standing in the kill-zone of four weapons of mass destruction. “Lovely party you’ve got going on here. The entertainment is top-notch.”

General B-02, the sleek, silver-eyed android who had just verbally decimated the blonde socialite, stepped forward. The cold, mechanical disgust he had worn a moment ago vanished, replaced by a smooth, dangerously charming smile.

His ocular sensors swept over Roxy, taking in the crimson dress, the high slit, and the absolute defiance in her posture.

“Well,” B-02 murmured, his voice a melodic hum of perfection. “And who is this pretty one?”

Before Roxy could even open her mouth to introduce herself, panic and adrenaline hijacked Nikki’s brain.

“That’s my friend, Roxy!” Nikki blurted out, her voice entirely too loud for the sophisticated setting. She stepped forward, gesturing to Roxy like a car salesman slapping the roof of a luxury vehicle. “She is single, hot, hardworking, very sexy, and everything you would ever need in a human companion! Highly resilient! Great stamina!”

Silence.

Absolute, deafening silence fell over the small circle.

The four Android Generals slowly turned their gaze away from Roxy and locked them onto Nikki.

Nikki’s face instantly burned with the heat of a thousand suns. She slowly lowered her hands, suddenly wishing the floor would open up and swallow her whole.

Stamina? Did I really just advertise her stamina to a group of war machines?

Roxy slowly turned her head to look at Nikki, an eyebrow raised so high it nearly disappeared into her hairline. She let out a dry, breathy laugh.

“Girl,” Roxy drawled, shaking her head. “If I didn’t know you any better, someone would think you were trying to auction me off to the highest bidder.”

Nikki gulped audibly, her eyes darting nervously between Adonis and the floor. She knew perfectly well that was exactly what they were doing.

Adonis, however, seemed entirely unfazed by the awkwardness. He crossed his arms over his broad chest, and looked at his comrades.

“Assessment?” Adonis asked the other Generals, his tone entirely professional, as if he were asking them to evaluate a new shipment of plasma rifles. “What are your initial calculations regarding Subject Roxy?”

B-02 tilted his head, his silver eyes flashing as they ran another scan. A slow, appreciative smile curved his lips. “Her structural appeal is undeniable. The crimson fabric highlights a bold, aggressive tactical nature. She is indeed what the Asset described. A highly intriguing biological variable.”

The other two men did not share B-02’s enthusiasm. General V-05, merely let out a low, dismissive grunt. General K-09 remained dead silent. He just stared at Roxy with eyes entirely unreadable and deeply unsettling.

Nikki let out a heavy, defeated sigh. Her shoulders slumped. Well, at least one of them liked her.

The heavy, assessing stares were clearly starting to grate on Roxy’s nerves. The confident facade was cracking under the weight of so much artificial scrutiny.

“Right,” Roxy cleared her throat, gesturing vaguely toward the back of the hall. “As flattering as this is, I’m going to excuse myself to the bathroom.”

Without waiting for a dismissal, Roxy hiked up the slit of her dress and practically speed-walked away, disappearing into the glittering crowd of aristocrats.

That left Nikki alone with the four Androids.

Adonis stepped closer, closing the gap between them. He leaned down, his face mere inches from hers, the scent of him wrapping around her. A low, dark chuckle rumbled in his chest.

“Was this the plan for our arrangement tonight?” Adonis murmured, his blue eyes glinting with amusement. “A public auction?”

Nikki nibbled on her bottom lip in sheer embarrassment, her cheeks still burning crimson. “I panicked,” she whispered back. “I just wanted to make sure they noticed her.”

Adonis’s gaze softened for a fraction of a second before he straightened up. He looked out over the crowd, tracking the trajectory Roxy had taken.

“Or,” Adonis added smoothly, “maybe it is actually going to work.”

Nikki frowned in confusion. She quickly turned her head to look at what Adonis was looking at.

General V-05 was still standing there, but to her absolute shock, both B-02 and K-09 had silently detached from the group. They were currently striding through the crowd, heading in the exact direction Roxy had fled.

Nikki clasped her hands together in front of her chest, praying fervently to whatever gods were listening.

Please let it be B-02. Please let the charming one catch her, and not the scary dog-man.

***

Roxy was hopelessly, entirely lost.

The Grand Diplomatic Hall was a labyrinth. She had asked a passing waiter for the restroom, but the directions had involved phrases like “past the kinetic sculpture” and “through the botanical annex.”

She had pushed through a set of heavy glass doors, hoping to find a quiet powder room. Instead, the cool night air hit her face.

She had stumbled into the private gardens.

It was a stunning sight of flowers of different varieties blooming. It was quiet out here, the thumping bass of the Gala muffled by the thick glass walls.

Roxy exhaled a sigh of relief, rubbing her temples. “Okay, just take a minute. Breathe. You are not lost.”

She began to walk down one of the winding paths, looking for another entrance back into the building.

As she rounded a massive, glowing topiary shaped like a weeping willow, she froze.

A sound broke the quiet of the garden. It was a wet, rhythmic slapping noise, accompanied by heavy, desperate panting.

Roxy peered through the leaves of the willow.

Pressed up against a marble statue of a goddess were two humans. They were definitely Sector 1 elites, the man’s tuxedo jacket was discarded on the grass, and the woman’s expensive silver gown was bunched up around her waist.

They were aggressively, loudly fucking right there in the open, completely oblivious to the world.

Roxy flushed a deep, violent crimson. Even in the slums, where privacy was a luxury, people had the decency to find a dark corner or a closet. These rich snobs were just doing it out in the open like animals.

“Classy,” Roxy muttered to herself, her eyes wide with a mix of shock and second-hand embarrassment.

She spun around on her heel, desperate to bolt back the way she came before they noticed her.

She took one rapid step—

That is until she collided face-first into what felt like a solid wall of freezing cold steel. The impact sent a shockwave of pain through her nose. She stumbled backward, gasping, her hands flying up to clutch her face.

It wasn’t a wall.

It was a chest. A broad chest clad in a clean uniform.

Roxy looked up, her heart stopping in her chest.

Towering over her, perfectly illuminated by the glow of the garden, was one of the Android Generals. His eyes tracked past her head, locking directly onto the frantic, moaning couple behind the topiary.

The machine didn’t look disgusted. He didn’t look shocked. He looked deeply fascinated.

The General slowly tilted his head down to look at Roxy, a terrifyingly smooth, charming smirk spreading across his lips.

“Why don’t we both watch,” B-02 drawled, his synthesized voice dropping to a smooth, dark purr, “for research purposes?”

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