• Home
  • /
  • Stories Hub
  • /
  • Non-Erotic
  • /
  • Bitchin' Betty Ch. 03

Bitchin' Betty Ch. 03

Darbe led the grinning assassin down a winding labyrinth of corridors, access shafts and more corridors. He finally stopped at a non-descript doorway with the same faint outline as the bridge's door. He looked over his shoulder at Diego who returned the gaze with one of cherubic innocence.

"What?" said Diego, struggling to keep the impish grin from returning without much success. A few moments passed and Darbe couldn't take it anymore, he burst out laughing.

"I suspect you're a bit cross with me for not letting you know a bit more."

"Cross? Me? Never." Diego replied in mock indignation.

"Oh yes, you're the image of purity you are." Darbe walked through the door, tuning out the generic "Hi, welcome to Diego's quarters, have a nice day" chime. Surprisingly, Diego didn't toy with the door this time and followed Darbe in. He took a quick glance around the room and frowned.

"These are my 'possessions?'"

Darbe looked around, somewhat embarassed, "Well, yes… that is… errr…" he trailed off. Diego fixed him a piercing gaze then grinned.

"My own fault I guess." He stepped around the room, taking in the small bunk that was his bed and the smaller closet next to it. He peeked into the closet, pulled out a dusty footlocker and set it on the bed. Fumbling with the latch for a few minutes, he took a deep breath and then snapped it off. "I don't suppose you knew the combination did you?" Darbe shook his head and Diego turned back to the now open footlocker. "Good, neither did I."

He reached in and pulled out a pocket-sized, entirely alien looking tool and pondered it briefly before turning to Darbe.

"You don't--"

"Nope."

"Mmm." He tossed it over his shoulder and it landed in a corner with a beep. He put his hand in again and pulled out two small cylindrical objects which Darbe shifted away from nervously. Diego noted the motion and held them daintily by the tips of his fingers. "And these?"

"Those are your… err… weapons of choice. Betty would know how to use them."

"Betty?"

"Oh right, your memory. Betty's the AI unit in your helmet." A look of recognition crossed Diego's face and he looked down at his helmet suspiciously.

"She's only there when I put it on right?"

"Yeah." Diego nodded and set the weapons down carefully, then returned to the footlocker. The last item that he pulled out was a small palm-sized panel with no apparent knobs, dials or buttons to fiddle with. He looked at it, puzzled, and was just about to open his mouth when Darbe spoke.

"That's the hologram device that you'll use to communicate with Captain Embers. It's keyed to the word 'embers,' that'll turn it on and display a hologram of you to her, and if you tap the top of it like so," Darbe took the pad from Diego and tapped one of the sides, "then it displays a hologram of her as well." Darbe handed the device back to Diego and he studied it carefully, trying in vain to remember which of the identical sides Darbe had just touched.

"Well I guess I better get going then." Diego grabbed the strange tool he had thrown over his shoulder, stuffed the panel into a pocket in his suit and gingerly picked up the two weapons he had lain on the floor. He searched for a suitable place to stuff them and then noticed the two holsters on his back in a reflection from the door. Cool, I feel like one of those old-time samurai guys. He posed briefly, much to the amusement of the sergeant. Patting himself down and checking to make sure everything was in place, he made to leave the room and then thought of something. He reached into his pocket and pulled out the small hologram pad. He turned it over several times in his hands then remembered the key-word.

"Embers" he murmured softly to it. It beeped back at him. He lifted it up to his face and peered at each side of it, absolutely convinced that the two were identical. He was just lifting his finger to tap experimentally on one of the faces. Just before his finger touched, the familiar soft voice of the captain floated out of it.

"Ah-ah-ah. Other side."

Diego frowned and turned it over, then tapped it once and waited for something spectacular. Darbe coughed and Diego turned to look at him.

"Hmm?"

"You're holding your finger over the display."

"Oh, right…" Diego's mind raced to figure which of his fingers was over the display, then lifted apparently the right one, "I knew that." Darbe nodded.

"Of course you did, I was just reminding you." There was a soft chuckle from the hologram of Embers.

"What? I did!" exclaimed Diego. The small image of the captain smiled up at him and made a motion as if to pinch his cheek.

"You're a cute one aren't you?" Flustered, Diego hunched his shoulders and turned a pouty lip.

"Fine, fine, have your laughs. I was just going to say that I'll be leaving now."

"Oh, I almost forgot. Your data-card." Darbe said, tapping Diego on the shoulder and turning over a rather beaten-up chip of plastic. "It's uh, seen better days I suppose."

Diego shrugged, "It still works right?"

"Mmhm."

"Then it's good enough for me. Say, how much do I have on this thing?"

Captain Embers scrunched her nose in thought, "From what I know, it plugs into your helmet and records everything you do or say or think. It's like Betty's journal." Diego frowned at the chip and held it as if it were a venomous snake poised and ready to bite. "You're going to have to get used to her you know, she won't go away and we can't replace her." Diego's frown deepened then he sighed and placed the hologram on the bed, lifted the helmet to his head and lowered it.

Weeee, you're back! came the small voice.

Diego shuddered uncomfortably.

Stop being a baby. You used to like my company. Betty sounded like she was pouting. Then an image of a short, cute girl appeared in his mind. His eyes opened wide and then he shut them tightly. The image didn't go away. The little girl sniffed and was just about to break out into tears when Diego opened his mouth.

"I just need some… time… to get used to this." That seemed to calm her down. Cautiously he opened his eyes again and caught the amused expressions of Darbe and hologram-Embers. He fixed them both with a fierce glare that spoke volumes, then stuck his tongue out at them. Embers giggled girlishly and Darbe averted his gaze with a grin.

You can talk to me up here, just think at me. chimed Betty amused with the whole situation, her previous pout forgotten. Diego nodded and decided to give it a try.

So you're uhm, how old?

I'm 19, coming on 20 this fall, chirped Betty.

And I am…?

26, and 'not my type.' Betty seemed put out by this last bit. Or so you tell me time and again. Puzzled, Diego stored that bit of information for later prying, worried at what he might discover.

So uh… ok I can't do this. "Much better." he finished out loud.

Suit yourself.

"Now how do I plug this thing in?" he said, half to Betty and half to Embers and Darbe.

Just press it into the slot in the back of your helmet. Betty chimed, a split second before Darbe and Embers said in unison: "Just press it into the slot in the back of your helmet."

"Ok, ok… I got it." He lifted it up to the nape of his neck and felt around with his fingers for the slot, found it and pressed the chip in. A flood of images and memories rushed through his head in a jumble and he sat down heavily on the thin mattress.

I'll deal with this, don't worry. Diego breathed a deep sigh of relief at that.

"So what does my account balance look like?"

At the moment it's… there was a slight hum then, hovering at about 2.3 million credits.

"Oh. Wow." The mental image of the girl, of Betty, smiled and continued.

Yes, we're doing quite well for ourselves.

"Hey! My memory might not be what it was, but I'm smart enough to realize that I didn't consider myself a couple with an AI unit in my helmet. So no funny business trying to rearrange my memories ok?"

Betty's image pouted again, Spoilsport. Embers seemed to take particular interest in that last statement, then straightened herself out.

"Anything else that you need me for?"

"Ah… no, I think that was all. Thanks for the dinner, I'll pay you back some time." He promptly turned the hologram off, leaving the captain to herself to try and decipher what he had meant. Darbe headed out the door and paused with his hand on the frame, then spoke back over his shoulder.

"You take care out there Diego, you'll be sorely missed if you don't."

"Aye aye…" then with an impish grin added, "Cap'n." Darbe winced and then sighed. Incorrigible devil, he thought. Some day he'll meet his match.

Finally left alone, Diego stuffed the hologram into his pocket and stood up. Giving the room a last cursory look, he spun on his heel and walked out into the corridor.

"Alright Betty, point me in the right direction." The little girl pointed in a random direction and giggled. Diego's eyes narrowed.

"Funny."

Ok ok. A small tugging in the back of his mind was telling him to turn right, so he did. Finally oriented in the right direction he started off down the long hallway at a jog, Betty chattering incessantly in his head.

Arden huh? I always wanted to go there. It's supposed to be really pretty. Think we could get a souvenir? Maybe a new outfit for me? Diego rolled his eyes.

"Yeah sure, we can get a new outfit for you."

Betty beamed and did a twirl in his head which was altogether unsettling.

Goodie! Oh, turn right here. The small tugging in his mind returned and he angled off down a somewhat narrower corridor.

"So where are we now?"

These are the escape pods. Diego flinched again at that word.

"I hate pods."

Baby, Betty teased and stuck her tongue out, They make great conversation. Diego briefly wondered what an AI unit and an escape pod might talk about then stopped that train of thought deciding it wasn't conducive to good mental health. Betty continued to talk, trying to make light conversation with Diego but got nothing more than a "yes" or "mmhm" in reply and shortly gave up. Betty started to amuse herself with sorting out Diego's old memories and Diego studied the escape pods around him. The entrance hatches were small and round and after peaking into an open hatch, Diego could tell that the escape pods themselves were small and round.

"Lovely."

There was a dim red light flooding the corridor that didn't seem to be coming from anywhere in particular and plenty of buttons, cranks and wheels. Betty's voice came to him faintly, as if through several aisles of old and dusty books.

We're coming up on our pod.

Diego nodded and slowed to a walk, taking a closer look at the pods around him. Just about every one of them had a small panel over the entrance, detailing it's pre-programmed destination. All but one of them was headed to Earth. Correctly guessing that the one pod he saw that wasn't heading to Earth was heading to Arden and therefore was the pod he would be taking, Diego stepped into the hatch. There was barely enough room for him to turn around inside, and several control panels on opposite sides of him for maximum "convenience."

Press that button to your right.

Diego looked to his right. Pause.

"Which button to my right?"

The one that says "Warning!"

"Oh, you mean the big red button that looks like it really shouldn't be pushed?"

Yeah, that one.

"Ok." Diego pushed the button and waited. Nothing seemed to be happening. "Now what?"

Juuuuust wait…

Diego waited some more. Just as he was about to hit the button again, there was a rush of compressed air and the kick of the small engine starting up. Diego slammed up against the hatch and muttered, "Could've warned me about that."

But what fun would that be? Betty replied with a grin.

  • Index
  • /
  • Home
  • /
  • Stories Hub
  • /
  • Non-Erotic
  • /
  • Bitchin' Betty Ch. 03

All contents © Copyright 1996-2023. Literotica is a registered trademark.

Desktop versionT.O.S.PrivacyReport a ProblemSupport

Version ⁨1.0.2+795cd7d.adb84bd⁩

We are testing a new version of this page. It was made in 189 milliseconds