|| -------- -- -----  A E R I E   O B L I V I A N A . singular book of text wandertainment by Frank Edward Nora ------------------- ----------- FOREMAN ITTENER PIER--CUP 20--"MOTEL" <-------  ||  Severe Repair  ||  Foreman Ittener Pier  ||  -------> (Cup SRfi020, Created v2 (6/7/99), Copyright 1999) = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = "I think maybe we should stop for the night soon." That's what I was afraid of. Lunatether speaking those words. "Yeah I guess." was my response. So here we were, driving down a lonely highway. It's funny--we had to cross a border, and we just handed the guy a thousand dollars and he just looked at the money and then back at us. He nodded a slight nod and we took off. It looked like we just granted his wish or prayer or something. It was weird. Bandelion was doing okay in the back. Tough beasts, these tock hounds. And very loyal. I can imagine the fate of anyone attempting to assault Lunatether with Bandelion around--that monster could shred anybody in about a second. Well, not me, but any normal person. But yeah--the idea of stopping at a motel and the bed that'd probably be in the room. Yeah, usually a bed or two in motels. Huh. Could it be? To me, the night before, I had been visited by Lunatether in her android form, and we made love. But now--now it was different. She wore Hilltop's body, the body I so lusted after. Yeah, much better than the android. As that, she was blatantly rubbery and mechanical--pretty high-tech, but nowhere near human. She felt the lovemaking, though--or so she said. But what was she? A computer? No way. She had feeling and quirks and energy and vitality--no way was she a computer. But what? All I know is that Injure Bodoni and Ann Saply created the first Stormbolthouse, Leitmotif. I guess they made the central control system so advanced that it was indistinguishable from a human intelligence. Or maybe... well--if they wanted it like that, it was a mistake. Just look at Lunatether--she shrugged off her stunningly huge, powerful Stormbolthouse body in favor of a small, soft, weak human form. In relative terms that is--Hilltop was neither small nor soft nor weak. Well, maybe soft... Ah, I don't know. So now, like, are me and Lunatether already lovers, or what? And I mean, she seems to be obsessed with me and stuff. Should I get into it? Won't I just wind up hurting her? I mean, am I really ready to say she'll be the only girl for me for the rest of my life? I had no answers to these questions. I just thought about seeing Hilltop naked, and being able to touch her and do stuff with her--or rather--with her body. It's funny--I guess it was her body that I liked more than her, 'cause I didn't think I'd be missing anything, her consciousness replaced by another. I yawned and rubbed my eyes as I stopped at a red light. "I guess we might find a hotel in this town." I said. "Let's hope." We drove into the small town and soon came to an okay-looking motel. Certainly not fit for royalty, but I've always kind of retched at the idea of royalty deserving so much better of everything, so it was perfect for me, I guess. "Alright." I said. "I'll check in and get the room--and I don't know what you're gonna do with Bandelion--is she okay to stay in the truck all night? I mean, does she have to go, you know..." "Well, she'll be alright, but I want to take her out for a walk so she can relieve herself and recover from today's drive." "Where the heck are we gonna do that around here?" "Don't worry--tock hounds can feel the light of human vision and avoid it. She'll not be seen by anyone." "Well okay." I said. "So you want me to check in and stuff while you do it?" "That's acceptable." "Okay... okay." I said awkwardly, and then I hesitantly kissed Lunatether goodbye. Out of the truck, I strode to the motel office. The cool evening air filled my nose, my windpipe, my lungs. Yeah. Felt good to be free of the truck. I didn't know what would happen between me and Lunatether in the room. Make love, probably. I felt like it. But I wondered--would I be setting Lunatether up for a fall if I made love to her "officially" in her human body? That is, with her almost obsessive love for me, and my wanderlust and lust for all ladies in general, would I be guaranteeing her eventual emotional ruin? Ah, time enough to think of such things tomorrow. -------> ------------------- ----------- -------- -- -----