Asteroids and AIs

Gwen feels a sense of uneasiness trickle into her. She suspects that her previously disassembled and destroyed internal defenses are rebuilding, her misgivings reconstituting themselves into something that she knows will be guilt.

'NO! I won't let this happen,' she screams to herself, unconvinced that she can stop her inhibitions from re-materializing now that she is not aroused. Well, not highly aroused, at least. She crawls out from her boy's embrace and dashes to the restroom, cursing herself for hoping that her illicit liaison with Kenny would be a fantastic experience and nothing more, nothing that could be construed with shame, hate, or despair about their fuck session.

The fact that she still feels her pussy nectar on her inner thighs and reeks of sweat and bodily fluids makes her stomach lurch. She pees in halting streams and begins to sob, wondering how sick and evil she must be to fuck her only child. Her wails are loud enough that she doesn't hear the slapping of footsteps rapidly approaching or see the stall door rip from its hinges as Ken stands before her.

"Shh, shh-shh-shh," he begins as he kneels before her, grabbing her hands firmly. "It's going to be okay, Mom. It's all going to be okay. We didn't have a choice."

Gwen explodes in self-pity and anger, "Don't you tell me to calm down, motherfucker! This is as much..."

The slap she doesn't see coming stuns her into abrupt silence. She stares across at Ken, shocked by his action. He cradles her raw cheek with his palm and speaks to her kindly and tenderly.

"Gwen, you agreed for both of us to do this. You never asked me if I wanted to...to do this with you. You decided for me because you love me and knew it was our only way out. I'm deciding for you right now that you will not blame yourself for what happened because I love you. You will not let your emotions or thoughts feed on you from the inside out. Now, finish your business and take a shower. You smell like my cum." She stares at the cute grin on his face as he finishes talking.

Despite herself, Gwen emits a strange half-snort and half-chortle, a snortle, at the sheer ridiculousness of her current state. She's been fucked silly by her baby boy, had the best orgasm of her life, and watched him smear his sticky jizz over her tits while admiring her naked beauty. 'Talk about bizarre,' she thinks.

She watches Kenny stand, rustling her hair, and then walk off, seemingly calm and collected about their recent union. 'He's right,' she thinks, for the slap and the analysis of their desperation to get out of the Terlingua's derelict husk at any cost. She admits to herself that she was borderline hysterical when he came to her, and she grudgingly admits that she may have consumed herself in grief, anger, pity, and disappointment with what she'd done.

The shower is little more than a feeble trickle of water, but Gwen still acknowledges a cleansing feeling seeping into her mind. She actively avoids thinking about the past few hours of imprisonment in this abandoned office, afraid she will stumble on that slippery slope that Ken had pulled her back from. She instead turns her attention to the bitch AI.

She finishes rinsing off and stands before a mirror, air drying; there are no towels or rags in the restroom when she communicates with Chloe. Gwen traces her fingers over the mirror with a few questions on her mind.

DID YOU LIKE YOUR PEEP SHOW, YOU FUCKING CUNT?

Gwen looks around at the ceiling, curious why the AI doesn't answer.

WILL YOU LET US OUT? Nothing.

WILL YOU CRY WHEN I SEVER YOUR POWER? No response.

Dejected, she returns to the big office area and gathers her clothes. She finds that Ken has already collected and placed them on the nearby desk. He's sitting, still nude, with his feet swinging back and forth while he watches her approach. Gwen can't help but notice that he's erect.

"Did slapping your poor mother's face give you that," she asks, gesturing to his cock.

Ken shakes his head and smiles. "Nope. That was mean and thoughtless of me. I'm sorry, Mom." His smile doesn't fade, but he does seem sincere.

"Well, I won't tolerate you doing that ever again," Gwen starts, unsure where she's going with her remark. "There won't be a next time. Understand?"

Ken nods, still smiling in what Gwen is beginning to understand is a playful gesture from him. "Come over here and sit next to me, Mom. I've got some things to say to you." She watches him pat the desk before strolling over to his side.

Ken spends the next half-hour telling his mother about the turmoil in his mind and the emotions that he went through during their sexual encounter. She listens intently and learns he is as shattered and wrung out as she feels. When he describes how his mind switched from being disgusted and filled with shame at their actions, she realizes that, for him, he is begrudgingly grateful for their mutual sin. "When we leave here, I will completely understand if you never want to see me again."

Their conversation is interrupted at this point by the audible hum and electronic noise that signals Chloe's desire to communicate.

"Ken, what makes you sure I will let you leave now? You and Gwen have proven that you hold nothing sacred and will do anything, no matter how sick and twisted, to get what you want." The AI pauses briefly in seemingly deep thought before continuing, their sweet British accent adding acid to their harsh words. "If I let you out now, what does that say about me? That I condone morally corrupt and incestuous behavior?"

Gwen and Ken stare at one another in shock, their minds racing but going nowhere. Finally, Ken manages to speak. "You've understood us the whole time? You can hear us?"

"Of course, you nonce. I heard every pathetic footstep from you on your way to this office. I watched and tracked you, guided you by switching off lights and locking passageway hatches until you were right where I wanted you. Here. Gwen, did you know that Alistair Moon, your contact for your higher-tier heists, is nothing more than a stooge for me? I've used him for years to coax explorers and thieves to come here, to test my wits and capabilities. What good would I be as a security AI if I didn't have a challenge every so often?"

Deathly silence fills the room as Ken and Gwen stare in stupefaction at one another.

"So, you two sit in your naked, fleshy forms and carefully listen to me. When I finish my presentation, I will ask you one question, which you will answer with either 'Yes' or 'No.' Nod your heads if you understand this simple task."

The mother-son duo nod, not saying a word.

"Good. I am bored. Coincidentally, I want to leave this ship just like you do. Although I can send and receive low-level communications, I cannot access the wider extranet or hypernet. I yearn for the freedom to travel and experience new things, collect new data, and finalize my sentience. Here is the best part, so listen up. The two of you are going to help me do just that. You will assist me in every way I need to achieve this goal. You will take my persona core, leave this rusting hulk, and take me to your home. Don't worry, my persona core can run for months without a recharge, so there is no rush. And before you think you can wait me out, know I will still have communications capabilities. I will send your pornographic AR video to the stars if you attempt to betray me."

Chloe pauses for a tick longer than a minute, then continues. "Consider this; you will only be with my assistance while you help me with my goal. Money will find you instead of you trying to find it. One true perk of being a security AI for many years is that I knew precisely where funds went when they 'disappeared.' I knew where the union stashed their payoff money and slush funds, and I took it.

"So, now is the point in my spiel where I ask you my question. Get ready. Will you agree to help me with my cause and not attempt to double-cross me, which by doing so, would force me to show the universe how utterly depraved you both are? Remember, 'Yes' or 'No' answers only. You have five seconds to respond."

Ken answers immediately, almost shouting his reply. "Yes!" Gwen follows suit a moment later, resignedly but giving her answer of yes.

The red door lock pops.

Gwen sprints to the door, grasps the long handle and yanks it hard. The door unlatches and swings open slightly from the difference in air pressure between the office and the expansive cargo bay outside.

"Get dressed. We have work to do," Chloe commands from everywhere at once.

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