Lost Empire

Chapter 39

0001 - Tempro

0003 - Conner

0097 - Ace

0101 - Shelby (mother ship)

0125 - Lars

0200 - Ellen

0301 - Rodrick

0403 - Johnathon

0667 - Marco

0778 - Jan

0798 - Celeste

0908 - Tara

0999 - Zan

1000 - Sherry

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Growing

Lucy - 0098

Derrick looked up from the floor at Shelby rubbing the side of his face that felt real! Not like a solid hologram but real flesh and blood! Gaining his feet he slowly backed away from Shelby who as of yet hadn't moved.

"I don't know who or what you are but there is no way that you can be Shelby." Derrick stated.

With a huge sigh Shelby advanced upon Derrick who was still slowly backing from her. "If I have to hit you again Derrick I'm afraid that I might injure you!"

"Injure me? You, and what army? I think that..." Derrick started.

"Derrick shut the hell up and listen to me. I am real, as real as you are. I am human just as my counter-part Shelby is a living A.I. Really Derrick as brilliant as you are you can really be stupid at times!" Shelby said having stopped seeing that Derrick was looking for an avenue of escape.

"A human? I don't see how, the cloning and transfer projects were abandoned centuries ago. There hasn't been anyone smart enough to..." Snapping his fingers Derrick's eyes went wide. "Kimison and Rayburn! That was why! I'll be damned!" Walking to Shelby he slowly and gently touched her arm. "Soft and warm, reactions to touch excellent. Now the only question is why?"

Shaking her head with a smirk Shelby could only stare at him a moment. "Uh hello? You aren't going to live forever, and an heir or more will benefit both you and the empire." With a wry smile she continued, "Besides I find you a hell of lot more than attractive." Derrick's eyes flew wide as he stared at Shelby. "An heir? What!? But you ... and I ... a child? I..." was all that Derrick was able to get out.

"As I seem to remember you telling Admiral Hartwell, Derrick close your mouth, it's undignified." Shelby told him as she gently reached up and closed Derrick's open mouth with a giggle.

Derrick nodded as he could only stare at the human Shelby in front of him. Again he reached out to touch her face and arms tentatively. Then suddenly, unexpectedly Derrick grabbed her and crushed her to him as he kissed her long and deep. Coming up for air a minute later when someone cleared their throat, Shelby was reeling as was Derrick.

"I have wanted to do that again since the last time I kissed Shelby in the neuro-link." Derrick said as a soft giggle came from behind them.

"I'm glad that you enjoyed it as much as it you appeared you did," came the holographic Shelby. "I'm also glad that you are more back to normal."

"I don't know how they kept it from me but I will have to thank them when I see them again." Derrick told both the Shelbys.

"Actually you're welcome." Kimison said as he and Rayburn's holo-forms appeared beside Shelby.