When they arrived back in Elkins, it was early morning. The car was heavily tilted on the combat suit’s side, which meant it was heavy, and Rowan had driven at a snail’s speed to spare the vehicle.

  Grace ran into his arms the moment he got out of the vehicle. “Thank goodness you’re safe.”

  “But I did SMSed you,” Rowan blurted, thinking a classic: why haven’t you called? would follow. “It was too early to call.”

  “I know… but I was worried. I had a dream of you lying unconscious, and I was screaming at you to get up.”

  “Ah, that’s… never mind, it can wait. I want you to meet someone.”

  “Who?”

  “The Wizard of Oz.” He made a gesture, and Cora exited the car, still in her suit.

  Grace took a step back. “What’s that?”

  “Let’s go inside.”

  For such a huge suit, it moved quite silently. A minute later, with a coffee in front of him, Rowan was still delaying the truth. Cora stood ten feet apart, waiting for him to do the introductions.

  “Well?” Grace said. “What’s with the robot?”

  Rowan’s high Will meant he was not averse to delivering the truth in one blunt go. “It’s not a robot; it’s a suit. Cory’s inside. She’s a real person, an alien who was stuck on that ship, the only survivor. Her species is called Nekojin. She lied to us about being an AI but had good reasons.”

  Grace leaned back on the sofa, switching her gaze between the suit and Rowan, staring at him like doubting his sanity. Then, the suit let out a puff, opened, and Cora made her entry.

  “Ta-da!” Cora widened her arms in a theatrical gesture. She threw herself between Rowan and Grace on the couch, wrapping her arms around their necks.

  “So, here I am. Besties forever, right?”

  “G-get away from me!” Grace screamed, shoving the cat girl away.

  “Don’t be afraid; she’s not aggressive,” Rowan explained. “She’s a normal person.”

  “I’m not afraid. She stinks!” Grace blurted, rushing to open the French doors to the backyard.

  “I do not stink!” Cora hissed, showing her canines. “Don’t you dare insult me, human! This kitty has claws!” Her nails seemed to grow longer by half an inch, as far as Rowan could tell.

  “Like a dead body skunks peed on. Beurch!”

  “She doesn’t stink to me,” Rowan frowned. “You’re sure?”

  Skill: Sensorial Filtering deactivated. Note: Your high Will allows you to selectively process information, enhancing some senses and muting others, for better performance in or out of combat.

  “Uh… on second thought, there is a slight… whiff…” he tried to take some distance on the coach.    Being locked on the bridge for two months had not helped Cora’s bodily odors. Grace was exaggerating about the rotten corpse, but not for the skunks. Cora smelled like at least ten of them were her best friends, and they cuddled together at night. On the other hand, now he could also notice how pretty she was. Really cute! he thought. “Maybe you should take a shower,” Rowan suggested.

  “Nonsense! Give me a sponge and some rubbing alcohol, and I’ll be good as new in no time.”

  “Rowan!” Grace’s voice rose in intensity. “Grab and wash her this moment!”

  A high Will also meant he dared to run when running was the best option. “I’ll let you two sort it out together, socialize, catch up, stuff. I have to think about my builds.” Passing near Grace in a rush, he exited through the French doors and went away, ignoring her widened eyes and slacked jaw.

  It took a minute for Grace to get back to her senses. Such an abject betrayal was not what she expected. That wasn’t what the one was supposed to do. Finally, she shook her head, snapping out of her numbness.

  “Here, play with this while I take care of some things,” she threw a yarn clew at Cora.

  “How do you dare, you think I’m some pet? Oh… this feels so nice,” the Nekojin furrowed her cheek in the wool.

  Grace was already outside, in the Garden, activating the private chat that worked like a phone inside the County.

  [Grace to Isla]: Are you around?

  [Isla to Grace]: And Good Morning to you too. Yes, I’m starting my shift just now. Do you need something?

  [Grace to Isla]: Yes. I have a guest who resents water and soap but stinks, and I was thinking you could… err… persuade her to take a bath…

  [Isla to Grace]: She's French?

  [Grace to Isla]: She's a sort of a teenage cat. I’ll explain when you—

  [Isla to Grace]: I’m here.

  The police car, lights on, stopped in front of the house, and Isla exited quickly. Her nose wrinkled in disgust from ten yards away.

  “Ugh…”

  After entering the living room, Isla didn’t even ask for explanations. She looked around, grabbed Cora by the tail, and rushed upstairs, the Nekojin suspended in the air.

  “HELP! MURDER!”

  Soon, there were water and fight noises and many more screams.

  “Who died?” Dmitri appeared, sniffing around.

  “No one. We have an unwashed guest.”

  “Hi, Mommy!” Lizzie yelled, rushing down the stairs. “Where’s our new pet? I got a notification from the System. Because I was so nice, I got a cat-folk friend as a reward.”

  “We’ll see about that later. Dmitri, fold that blanket from the couch. I need to wash it… no, the hell with it. To the garbage it goes… Beurch.”

  Ignoring the heavy smell and the agitation, Lizzie was struggling to get into the robot suit.

  “Leave it be, it’s dangerous!” Grace screamed. “And dirty. Go change your pajamas for some proper clothes.”

  Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

  An hour later, after having breakfast, Dmitri walked Lizzie to school, and the suit was parked in the garden. Grace and a clean Cora, dressed in a borrowed house robe, stared at each other across the table.

  “So…” Grace started. “Cory…”

  “Yes?” Cora nodded.

  “Why have you lied to us?”

  The cat girl sighed. “I didn’t mean to… When the ship crashed, and I was blocked on the bridge, I scanned the area and accidentally connected to your core. I told myself, let’s give them a hand; they look like nice guys.”

  “You were blocked on the bridge and thought about helping us instead of asking us to help you?”

  “I was waiting to be rescued. I hoped my folks were still alive, or a salvage company would come… But my folks are gone, and my extraction request was denied. I found myself stuck on Earth. The… ch… ch…”

  “If you dare spit furballs around the house, I’ll cut your tail!” Grace menaced. A second later, she jerked. Poor thing! She just told me she lost her family… I shouldn’t have snapped at her…

  “Hey! Why are you so mean? Besties, remember?” Cora whimpered, her eyes welling with tears.

  Grace rolled her eyes. “OK, I take it back. If you have a hairball problem, spit them in a napkin. You’ll stay with us for now, but I expect you to behave responsibly. Do your part of the chores and be home at nine PM sharp. We’ll see you go to school and—”

  “Wait, wait, wait!” Cora forwarded her right hand in a stopping gesture. “School? How old do you think I am?”

  Grace walked her eyes over the cat girl, top from bottom. She was petite but had… some shapes, nevertheless. However, her head was bigger than a human’s, and her skin showed no blemish; it was as perfect as a child’s. “Fourteen?” she tried to guess.

  “I’m sixteen,” Cora hissed.

  “My bad. OK, high school, not school.”

  “In Nekojin years,” Cora snapped. “Twenty-one by human standards.”

  “Oh… I didn’t see that coming…” Well, you can still stay here if you want,” Grace waved her hand around. “We have a few spare rooms.” Her offer was made more to appear nice because she knew Cora had helped them a lot. But for whatever reason, she profoundly disliked the cat girl. A gut instinct. Weird, I liked her more when she was an AI…

  “I’ll pay rent,” Cora promised. “I talked with the Mayor on the way, and he promised to speak with the Council to create a technical assistant job. There’s a ton of stuff to be done in Elkins.” The Nekijin’s eyes sparkled with anticipation, Grace noticed.

  “Is there another AI in your place?”

  “Uh, I forgot… I’ll have to go to the Town’s control center to unlock it… I put in on sleep when I… err… you know…”

  “Took its place,” Grace said, crossing her arms. That nagging sensation of uneasiness was still there. Something was amiss. Not enough to provoke one of her visions, but disturbing enough. She’s not on a quest to conquer the County, is she? Outside, the immobile suit looked menacing enough. If the cat had access to the Technoforge, who guaranteed she wouldn’t build herself an army of robots? Rowan was gullible enough—like all men—to ignore the menace.

  “Do you like music?” Grace asked, moving to the piano and walking her fingers over the keyboard. “I could sing something to you.”

  “Yes!” Cora clapped. “Do you know… err…” she lowered her eyes, flushing.

  “Let me guess… Cats?” Grace resisted the impulse to facepalm.

  “Uhuh…” Cora whispered. “After I heard you two singing at Lizzie’s party, I started to listen to a lot of human music.”

  “Well… Cats is a good musical… Let’s see…”

  Grace started to improvise, chaining chords, at first without much purpose than practicing harmonies. The Nekojin stared at her, fascinated. Slowly, Grace began singing The Ad-dressing of the Cats. It was one of the more operatic moments suited for her voice, even if she had to transpose it in her range. A few minutes later, the notification came:

  Target Cora Shemeows is now under the effect of your spells, Mesmer's Lullaby and Truth Song. She will be sedated and compelled to tell you the truth for the next five minutes.

  “Tell me, Cora. Do you plan to take over the County?” Grace asked.

  “Uh? Why would I want to do that?” Cora snorted, half expelling a snot from her left nostril in the process. Her eyes struggled to keep straight, making Grace dizzy only from their permanent wobbling. “I like you guys… Even you.”

  “Even me?” Grace frowned.

  “Yeah,” Cora nodded, her head bobbing left and right. “You seem reformed now. A good wife. No longer a… hic,” she hiccuped, “woman of perdition. A whore. A strumpet. A hussy. A loose goose.”

  “Loose goose means calm,” Grace corrected the cat girl, as the last expression didn’t fit the previous list. Then, she slackjawed, realizing the meaning. “What?” she yelled.

  “You’re so lucky,” Cora exhaled, letting her head backward, looking at the ceiling. “You have the perfect man and don’t even realize it. You don’t deserve him.”

  “Oh, my God!” Grace exclaimed, slapping her right hand over her mouth. “You’re having a childhood crush on Rowan! That’s why I have this uncomfortable vibe around you. Hahaha! Sorry, I didn’t mean to be mean. You poor kid!”

  “I told you, I’m not a kid!” Cora hissed.

  “Oh, right, I forgot you’re an adult,” Grace nodded. “Err…What are you doing?”

  The Nekojin had suddenly jumped on her feet. “Weighing my options,” she sneered in an ice-cold tone. “I consider you a friend, and you use Mind magic on me and mock my sentiments?” her voice mounted a notch.

  Is the spell over? Isn’t she supposed to forget?

  Warning: Your spell had failed to induce memory loss due to the target’s capped INT. Hostile intentions were detected from Cora Shemeows, Legendary Engineer, level 100. Quest: Survive.

  Outside, the armor began to move on its own.

  “It’s OK,” Rowan whispered in Grace’s ear, grimacing in pain. His right arm was held in a sling tied around his neck. “It’s only temporary. Eventually, I’ll level up and will be able to beat that armor. Go to Jim in Louisville.”

  “Bwaaaaaa….” Tucked into Grace’s skirt, Lizzie was crying her heart out.

  “We have to go, sweetie,” Grace said. Hugging Rowan one last time, she put Lizzie in the back of the car, tightening her seat belt. Going to the front seat, Grace started the car, driving southward to the closest safe County exit. The blue notification annoyed her, but she dared not push it away.

  Citizens of Elkins. You are invited to a traditional AMERICAN SHOTGUN WEDDING. Your beloved Overlord, Cora Shemeows, will take your former count, Rowan Allinder, as a consort. Presence is mandatory. Cheering is mandatory. Slackers will be disintegrated.

  “I apologize!” Grace yelled. “Please don’t hurt us!”

  Cora balled her fists. “Hurt you? I love him… and Lizzie. You, on the other hand, I hate! I saved your marriage by giving you my s… p… ch… ch…” the cat girl coughed, “and this is my reward?”

  She does have a lot of furrballs problems, Grace thought.

  Then, the armor moved, appearing in the door frame, a machine gun at the ready. Grace shut her eyes tight, shivering. “Please be kind to Lizzie,” she whispered.

  There was a burst of gunfire but no pain. Patting herself to check she was still alive, Grace opened her eyes. On the floor, Cora was bleeding out, her chest destroyed. The girl searched for Grace’s eyes. “There’s nothing left to live for… No family… no friends… You don’t deserve him…” She hiccuped and expired.

  Shit… Rowan will blame everything on me!

  “I apologize!” Grace yelled. “Please don’t hurt us!”

  “Hurt you?” Cora balled her fists. “No, I won’t hurt you… I love him… and Lizzie. You, on the other hand, I hate! I saved your marriage by giving you my s… p… ch… ch…” the cat girl coughed, “and this is my reward?”

  She does have a lot of furrballs problems, Grace thought.

  Then, the armor moved, appearing in the door frame, a machine gun at the ready. Grace grabbed a kitchen knife from the countertop and threw it. The armor’s front was still open, and the projectile hit a blue spot in the helmet. Spitting sparks, the robot collapsed.

  “Behave, you damn fool!” Grace yelled. “We are your friends.”

  “Friends don’t use mind control on their friends!” Cora yelled. “It’s game on! I’ll confess my feelings to Rowan and take him from you! He won’t resist this!” she pointed at her body.

  Grace’s patience collapsed. “You sure, Chucky’s bride? Resist what, a pumpkin head fit on a broomstick? You think he’ll choose that over a real woman?”

  Half an hour later, Rowan returned, bringing Lizzie, who had the last two classes canceled due to a sick teacher. “What happened here?” Rowan asked.

  “Cora’s trying to suicide,” Grace explained, yawning, stretched on the couch. The Bourbon glass in her hand was almost empty, and it was the third. “Thirty minutes now, and still going.”

  The Nekojin’s head was in the kitchen sink, water flowing abundantly over it, yet not fast enough to fill the recipient. The cat girl had not yet discovered how to use the sink stopper. “Grllllce was mean to me, lllll,” Cora said, her voice interrupted by the flow.

  “Mommy can be very mean at times,” Lizzie said seriously.

  “I’m sorry!” Grace yelled, rushing to hug Cora. “You’re my friend, I was wrong.”

  “You’re not my friend! Friends don’t use mind control on their friends!” Cora yelled, trying to shove Grace away.

  Grace hung on. “It was a misunderstanding, I swear! I just wanted to be sure you don’t want to overthrow Rowan.”

  “I would never!” Cora protested, trying to shake his head but failing because she was still in Grace’s embrace.

  “I’m really sorry,” Grace said. “I’ll make it up to you, I swear. Take the best room. My room. No chores, ever. I’ll bake you a cake every day, just calm down. You’re a nice AI… sorry, gal… I care for you.”

  “If you want to make it up to me, share Rowan with me,” Cora said, finally pushing Grace away. “Polyamory is accepted in the System’s worlds.”

  The cat girl’s wide eyes showed a lot of hope but also dread. Grace sighed. The last thing she needed was a new series of visions of disasters. Yet, she had to say something. “Why don’t we make a compromise?” she suggested. “Stay with us for now. If Rowan falls for you, I’ll accept to share. If not, you’ll promise to get over it and stay friends. Deal?” Grace forwarded her hand.

  “Deal!” Cora shouted, shaking Grace's hand with vigor.

  Goodness gracious… That smile is so wide… Her head is like a Halloween pumpkin… “I need a drink,” Grace sighed, beelining for the bar. She poured herself a full glass of Bourbon.