Chapter No.16.

When the brain data transfer was complete, Ryan disconnected the two brains, leaving Myra to reconnect Chara's skull and replace her hair. Ryan unzipped Chara's jacket in preparation for adding a battery booster unit.

"She certainly has sizable breasts for an asteroid," Myra quipped.

"Yes, it's because she's a recreational android," Ryan said before he began the process of splitting Chara's chest to gain access to her innards.

"Oh my God!" Myra reacted. "How in the hell do you know what to do in all of that . . . that complicated mess?"

He pointed to a round metal ball. "That's the battery. I have to connect this booster to it."

"I'm glad you know what you're doing."

Ryan smiled as he moved the booster device into position and then made the connection. After some adjustments, he closed Chara's chest and sealed it with a fuser. He then zipped her jacket together. Then, he went to the main computer system and entered a command to revive Chara.

Both Ryan and Myra held their breaths while they stared at Chara with anxious eyes.

Chara's eyes snapped open, and she blinked a few times before looking at Ryan and Myra. "I am still functioning."

"Yes," Ryan said, taking a relieved breath. "And at a much more efficient level. You're now upgraded to full functionality, which includes a battery booster that will give you more stamina and strength."

Chara extracted herself from the chair and stood up. "You will now live here and continue your repair work."

Ryan looked around. "This doesn't look too comfortable for sleeping."

Chara gestured to him. "Come, and I will show you your new quarters."

Ryan and Myra followed Chara to a door that led to a hallway with rooms.

"There are two quarters for you and a room to enjoy," Chara said.

Neither Ryan nor Myra understood what she meant. The quarters were much larger than on the vessel and had a bed, cabinets, chair and table as well as a spacious bathroom. Myra's quarters was identical. It was the extra room that surprised both of them. It contained a swimming pool.

"Why the pool?" Ryan asked Chara.

"It will help you relax." She turned and walked away.

"You're welcome," Ryan said but didn't know if it was heard.

"I guess she trusts us now," Myra said.

"I certainly hope so. We took a big chance in updating her, but it was necessary if we are to survive."

"Myra shrugged. "I could sure use a good meal right now."

Ryan pointed to a small table with chairs. "There's a food synthesizer over there." he walked over and pressed buttons to order burgers with fries along with coffee for both of them.

Myra sat down and picked up her burger to look at it before she took a bite. Ryan didn't bother looking at it. He consumed it along with some fries.

"Chara must have anticipated that she and the other androids would need this repair facility," Myra said after taking a sip of coffee.

"Actually, I don't understand why this facility exists. Androids are incapable of repairing or altering their bodies and operating systems. You can understand why they included that restriction when they created androids."

"If that's the case, why did Chara consider killing us?"

"I don't think she did. She wanted to frighten us into complying with her wishes."

"We're basically slaves," Myra said. "I don't understand why she's so committed to this planet."

"What I don't understand is where did all these broken androids come from. Were they included in the original mission to this planet? If they were, how did they get broken? The ones we've fixed had brain damages, which would only be caused by overloads to their power systems. That would indicate an energy weapon strike."

"Speaking of damaged androids, there's a whole bunch of them in a hidden chamber behind the main one."

Ryan's eyes grew larger before he squinted at her. "Really?"

"Yes. There must be thousands of them."

Ryan rubbed his jaw. "This is looking more like a preparation for a war."

"A war with whom? Humans?"

"You know, I think there's something going on here that we don't understand. For one thing, this planet is not suitable for human habitation. It doesn't have enough land mass because it's an ocean planet. Besides, Space Command never sent that many humans here. It's mostly androids. The other thing that makes me suspicious is the tower. If you notice, the top section is blocked off, and I know that it's connected to a nuclear generator. There's a metal ball at the top and it has a hole in it. I think it's an energy beam weapon."

"I thought that was to fend off a Space Command attack," Myra suggested.

"I did too, but apparently, that's not the case.

"If the land mass of this planet is limited, why the hell would aliens want to come here?"

"What if they were aquatic aliens?" Ryan proposed. "Aquatic aliens that live on an ocean planet which has lost its water."

"How could an android army defend against aquatic aliens?"

Ryan smiled. "I think these androids are aquatic. Remember that a good many of them swam from the other continent, and Chara loves to swim. Androids don't breathe."

"Wouldn't Space Command have known about this?" Myra asked.

"Maybe they did. Maybe they kept all of this secret because they didn't want anyone to know that this planet and eventually Earth would be targets for a technically advanced aquatic alien species."

"So, you think that Chara knows all about this and is preparing for the final war with this invading aquatic species?"

Ryan sighed. "Yes, and it looks like we are right in the middle of it." He stood up. "We had better get busy or Chara will punish us for wasting time."

Myra got up. "I don't want to have her poke a pain stick into me."

"You got that right. They feel like someone is sticking a soldiering iron onto your skin."

Myra made a disgusted face before heading with Ryan to the collection of broken androids. Ryan selected one and they dragged it over to the examination chair and moved it into position. Myra removed its hair and split the small opening for a connector on the back of its neck right where the base of its brain was.

Ryan started up the monitoring system to begin a scan of the android's main system.

"Do you think that the designers considered that these androids would be aquatic?" Myra asked.

"I don't think so," Ryan replied. "I was involved with some of their development, and I don't recall that being discussed,"

Myra sighed. "What if we're the only humans left?"

Ryan turned to her. "If we are the human race will be officially extinct."

He eyes grew large. "Why?"

"Because you and I have been injected with robotic nanobots that will prevent any gestation."

Myra eyes glistened over. Her situation just got much more complicated.