Date Sent: Tuesday, December 26, 2000 10:48 PM

Well, I'm back again, with another lemon... Sorry for all you cyborg fetishists, but though Alita does have a role in this one, she isn't really involved in the action. Yup, it's another Desty Nova story... though this one doesn't see the Professor having quite as good a time of things as in my previous fic, "Data Entry". This story partly serves as speculation as to why Nova was so freaked out whenever Ido's Ouroboran black cat showed up. In fact, it gets a little dark in places... you have been warned.

BIG WORD OF CAUTION: Not only is this a lemon (which means: all you out there reading this who aren't mature/legal enough to do so, back out now!), but this also relies heavily on the "Chibi Gally" Ouroboros sequence found within the last volume of the Gunnm/Battle Angel Alita nine-part manga. I've used the English-version names in this fic-- thus, Gally is the little girl, and Alita is the black cat. If you don't know this and try reading it according to the Japanese version's names, you're gonna be pretty confused. Also, this fic blatantly refers to the oh-so-spooky Secret of Tiphares a couple times. If you don't want the secret spoiled for you, I suggest you wait until you've read the manga.

LEGAL NOTICE: I make no claim that I have any rights over Yukito Kishiro's work. The characters used within this story are used without permission. (Not that I have any money that can be sued away anyway, but...)

TO CONCLUDE: By reading beyond the dotted line below, you agree that:
•you are not offended by (or under the legal age of) reading graphic sexual content;
•you will not e-mail the author to harass/flame her, nor will you put her e-mail address on any mailing lists without her permission; and
•if you re-post this fanfic anywhere else, you will acknowledge the author as having written the 'fic. (I don't necessarily have to be aware where it's posted, but please don't do something dumb, like post it to a kid-oriented newsgroup or somesuch.)

(whew) With that said, on with the fun!!

*****


KITTY CORNERED
more lemony fun from a little gerbil...
(again, with apologies to Mr. Kishiro-sensei...)

"And... pawn takes king."
Ido blinked in surprise, a smile spreading across his face. "Well played, Gally! Wow... that's three wins in a row!" As he reached across the chessboard to shake the little girl's metal hand respectfully, he turned to his right, remarking, "Can you believe it, Professor? Only two days, and already she's playing like a professional!"
Nova's eyes snapped back to alertness. "Ah, yes... very impressive indeed," he said, nodding his head slightly.
"Oh, Ido, can we play again? Pretty please?" Gally asked, her enthusiasm evident in her soft voice. The small black cat nestled on the top of her chair meowed her agreement.
"Well, I don't know... it is getting close to your bedtime..." Ido reminded. He paused a moment in thought, then smiled with a shrug, "But I don't see any harm in a few more rounds."
Gally cheered, then began setting up the chessboard for another game. She hesitated as she looked over to their spectator, who had let off an involuntary shiver. "Are you too cold again, Uncle Nova?" she asked, with gentle concern.
Nova looked at her, a bit startled at her question. He quickly responded, "Oh, don't worry, Gally. I'm just fine. Although..." he continued, standing up from his seat on the sitting-room couch, "I do think it's getting a bit chilly in here. You two carry on... if you'll excuse me."
With that, the Professor began walking down the hall to his study, breathing warm air through his clasped hands. He was beginning to grow tired of doing nothing but observe Ido and Gally... but what else was he to do? He had tried to carry out some of his usual karma research while here, but soon realized the futility in doing so in a place where there was no sickness to cure, no fate to study. Two weeks had passed, all within the narrow mindset of a little cyborg's fantasy world...
He could still barely believe it. The thought repeated itself through Desty Nova's mind as he closed the door to his study, then settled himself into his chair: It's already been two weeks! Looking at the arrangement of photographs clustered on the table next to him, he picked up his favorite.
It was a beautiful portrait, taken by the young fellow who dropped by now and again to chat... (a friendly boy, even if he was unfortunate enough to be named after some ancient automobile, Nova thought...) Gally smiled warmly out at him from within the frame, bedecked in her favorite pink, frilly dress, a ribbon in her hair.
Nova's mind wandered as he listened to the faint sound of some long-dead German composer's symphony drifting in from the nearby room. He could hear Gally's voice, laughing happily as she announced another checkmate to Ido, if he concentrated. He smiled to himself-- it was still deliciously ironic that the docile young waif playing chess not a few yards away from him was the hostile assassin who'd been pursuing him all these years.
The unconscious assassin, Nova reminded himself, his smug grin widening as he laid back in his Ouroboran seat. The time when he would enjoy triumph over his comatose opponent was drawing nearer with every second of Alita's dream that passed... everything was going exactly as the Professor had planned.
Well, nearly so, he admitted to himself. He wasn't sure if a cyborg body such as his captive's naturally felt the air as being as chilly as it was here, but Nova's claims to Gally and Ido hadn't been feigned-- to an outsider like himself, the girl's utopia was almost freezing.
Then there was Gally's blasted cat... Nova knew he didn't have absolute say over what Gally's mind had created in this realm, but he wouldn't have ever allowed such a nuisance into the program if he'd known beforehand how annoying this feline "Alita" would be. He scowled to himself-- how many times this week had he found that the cat had sneezed all over his flan, even if it'd been left unattended for a scant few minutes?
But even more distressing than the flagrant abuse of his precious flan was the discovery he'd made by the first week in this dream: there was something about that little pest that he couldn't control. Why it would happen, he couldn't explain, but when in its presence, any mental commands Nova would send through to the Ouroboros would simply fail. It was almost as if the cat was running things, rather than he... could it be that...?
No, he quickly corrected himself. I'm the one in control here. I just have to remember that...
Nova placed Gally's picture on the arm of his chair and listened to her distant voice a moment more. He had surprised himself at how he'd grown so fond of the girl's new identity-- a recent realization which was as frustrating for the karmatologist as it was embarrassing. He'd found himself offhandedly wondering if there could be compatibility between a cyborg with a brain and a human with a microprocessor... the thought that his mind could sink that low only sickened him more. Where would the logic be in going through all this trouble to trap his opponent, only to feel all disgustingly mushy about her? Never mind the fact that she was a mere robot...
Nonetheless, the fact remained that one couldn't deny one's biological responses, annoying as they may be. The situation hadn't really made itself clear until a few days ago, when simply being in Gally's presence had spurred some rather... noticeable reactions from his body. Nova remained adamant in his reasoning that this was only because Gally was the only female-like humanoid he'd been around for all this time... even with a mind as trained as his own, he was human, after all.
He had to admit, though... Gally was just as beautiful, not to mention infinitely more pleasant, than... than.......
Nova's brow furrowed. Not again... What was that woman's name? He rapped his fingers against the chair, trying to remember. The times when the dreamworld would overwhelm his memory were few, yet this fact offered no comfort to the Professor. He'd already resolved to himself that his plan was well worth a few setbacks, even mental lapses such as these. Still, the growing frequency of times when he would find himself unable to remember his mission, much less anything he was away from while in this realm, was genuinely beginning to disturb him.
That lady... he knew she'd nearly terrorized him with her increasingly sadistic advances long before he was within the Ouroboros, and that she'd had hair nearly as dark as Gally's, although much longer... he could remember nothing else about her, and this angered him. What might he forget next?
Though he could remember what had been going through his mind lately, he had tried his best to forget it. His own musings about how a creature as charming and virtuous as Gally could be within a heart seemingly made of barbed wire struck Nova as simply unscientific blather. He assured himself that his occasional arousals were naught but some spontaneous hormones stirring-- a matter which he would rectify momentarily.
The Professor reached into the pocket of his lab coat, tugging free a spotless silk handkerchief from within it. He took comfort in the fact that once Gally and Ido began one of their chess matches, they would continue long into the night without pause.
Drawing in a deep breath, Nova relaxed in his chair, his eyes fixed on Gally's picture as he quietly unzipped his pants. Might as well get it over with and be done with it, he thought. If nothing else, it'll help with the temperature problem...
Nova let a pleasured gasp escape as he withdrew his neglected member, slightly surprised that he would be getting hard so soon. He smiled-- even if he couldn't remember the mystery woman's name, he could still recall what she'd taught him in these matters. He would have to thank her again when he returned...
The Professor's eyes clenched behind his metal glasses as he began to massage
his reddening penis, his breathing becoming more labored as it eagerly rose under his dexterous touch. His mind raced with thoughts of Gally's beauty...
...and he stopped, suddenly. He realized he hadn't been thinking of her body, but of her personality... how she constantly treated him with utmost respect, as if there was something about him that could be as pure as she was....
A flash of anger crossed Nova's face. Don't think nonsense, he scolded himself, roughly jerking his hand down his shaft to drag his mind away from such worthless sentiments. Robots are nothing but mechanized guinea pigs... these feelings-- they're nothing but hormones talking.
The thoughts about Gally's charm gave him an idea, however. Nova closed his eyes once more, letting his imagination take over his thoughts. He gently brushed his fingertips against his still-swollen flesh... and gasped, almost painfully, as his head shot back against his chair with a soft thud. He sat there, shivering in dazed amazement, his mouth still agape at the overwhelming wave of pleasure that had just coursed through his body.
Nova finally recollected himself enough to try it again, making sure not to ask himself too specifically what about Gally had aroused him. Again, the delicate touch overtook his body with a rush of ecstasy. Unlike the first try, though, he managed to sweep his fingers against his penis a few times in a row. He clenched his teeth together in a desperate attempt to keep from crying out; his erection was engorged to a deep purple-- it felt solid enough to burst. Nova could feel the warmth of his blood pounding throughout his body... By this point, the rushing torrent of endorphins had rendered most of his strength powerless, yet he feebly tried to stroke his burning skin one last time. Tears began to well up in his eyes as he felt the rest of his body tighten; he weakly lowered his handkerchief downward-- it would happen any moment now-- almost-- almost---
The sound of the study's doorknob creaking was the only warning the Professor had.
"Uncle Nova?" Gally asked, quietly walking into the light-dimmed room. The tiny, jangling noise of Alita's neck-bell followed as the cat padded behind her.
Nova panicked-- No! *Anytime* but now!! his mind screamed to itself. He hastily swept his lab coat over his erection, attempting to cover it the best he could, as his face flushed an even deeper shade of red. His voice quivering, he responded, "Y-yes?"
"Have you seen any chess pieces in here? We lost the black queen under the table, and Ido said that there might've been some extra pieces here."
"I-I don't know for sure..." Nova said, as calmly as he could through gritted teeth. It was a strain to even hear what Gally was saying, as the shock had not removed his arousal-- far from it, for the object of his stimulation was now right in front of him, gazing at him through her innocent eyes! The throbbing bulge under his coat pounded even unbearably harder from the sight.
With his free hand, he mopped his brow with the handkerchief, then placed it near his clamped-shut mouth-- as near as he could without suspicion, anyway-- a way to gag himself if he uttered any inappropriate noise. Besides laying his other hand across his coat to keep it shut, there was nothing else he could do further but hope Gally wouldn't notice; he couldn't afford to sully her precious, peaceful mind-- especially not like this.
"Uncle Nova, you're shaking... are you sure it's not too warm for you in here?" Gally asked, concerned.
"No, no, I'm fine..." Nova said, though he realized how blatantly he was still sweating. He cursed internally at his interruption; the following spike of adrenaline was making him all the more nervous. The Professor's eyes fell on the cat, who had jumped up to perch on the table next to him. She stared back at him, angering him with the amused look on her face.
"Should I call Ido?"
"NO! No-- I don't think that would be a good idea, Gally," Nova blurted. "Maybe it'd be best if you..." His eyes returned to the black cat in time to see her crouch in an oncoming pounce. Wait... the way the cat was poised, it looked like it was aiming for....
"Alita-- no! Shoo, Alita! Shoo!"
But the Professor's pleas were to no avail; Alita's bell softly rang as she jumped onto Nova's lap and slinked under his coat, faster than the jittery man could respond. Gally watched in puzzlement as Uncle Nova frantically tried to sweep the cat back out, wincing in apparent pain as he did. He then paused, grimacing strangely as his grip on his coat relaxed slightly. He began inhaling in shallow, choked gasps; Alita slinked out only seconds before his body gave off a massive shudder. Nova quickly clenched his handkerchief to his mouth, crying out in a stifled, whimpering wail, as a large, dusky stain burst into view through his coat. The Professor stood frozen, his face a mask of terror as he stared at Gally.
"Oh!-- Uncle!" Gally gasped. "Did Alita bite you? Are you hurt?"
Nova was silent as he searched desperately for an answer. Finally, he told her, "No, she didn't do that... I'm all right, Gally. This is just something that happens to people sometimes, when they get too hot." All nonsense, he thought-- the semen oozing down his leg felt colder than ice. Nova shifted uncomfortably in his chair, nudging the girl's framed photograph out from against the cushion it had fallen upon. He winced as it clattered to the floor, then let out a defeated sigh.
"I'll get it, don't worry!" said Gally, rushing to pick up the photo. Nova reached out to grab it from her delicate hands, but he halted as his groin ached from the sudden movement. The little cyborg only caught a glimpse of her own face before the Professor snatched it from her grasp, slamming it face-down onto the tabletop. "I... I think it would be better if you looked for your chess piece somewhere else," he muttered, massaging his temples with a clammy hand.
The girl hesitated. "Only if you're going to be all right," she said. Her would-be uncle managed to smile back and nod his head assuringly, even then marveling at her young compassion. Gally walked to the door, looking back at him once more before partially shutting it.
As soon as she had left, the sound of Alita meowing caught Nova's ear. He turned to find the cat standing on the table, looking right into his eyes. His rage at the creature returned. He found himself scolding her, regardless of whether she understood or not, in a voice as venomous as it was hushed. "You miserable parasite! Do you have any idea what you just did?!"
In response, the cat merely glared back and flicked her tongue across her furry muzzle. Nova's eyes narrowed against his glasses, his face warming in a deep blush. The all-too-recent memory of how that tongue had felt flooded his thoughts-- the sensation was so delicate, like a rose petal against his fevered skin... almost like...
"Feh!" he spat, and knocked the cat off the table with a harsh sweep of his arm, only to see her gracefully land on her feet. Alita trotted over to the half-open door and meowed mockingly as she left, her tail held high.
The Professor relaxed his white-knuckled grip on the edge of his lab coat, lifting it up to see how badly he'd ruined it. He scowled at the sight-- his entire lap was sticky as well. The smell of the stain reached his nose, but it only seemed sour to him now. How in the world was he going to explain this to Ido?
Nova sat there in his chair for a moment as he looked at the door. Maybe... he thought, if I'm not obvious about it, I could just walk by them both... He took a deep breath and tried to get out of his chair. As soon as he was standing, he dabbed off what he could of the mess with his handkerchief, zipped up, and attempted to readjust his mindset back to some form of calm. He paused only a moment longer to straighten his tie... and walked through the doorway.
He neared the sitting room on the way to his quarters, hesitating as he heard Gally's soft voice whispering to Ido. After taking another deep breath, he strolled through the room, feigning casualness, and making sure to cover up the main damage with his coat as subtly as possible.
Nova averted his eyes from Gally in shame, but he couldn't help but glance at Ido. The doctor met the Professor's gaze, raising his eyebrows at him. Nova noticed the slight smirk on Ido's face, though-- perhaps with the air of mutual understanding, he figured... though he didn't particularly want to dwell on that thought.
Nova's pride began to return to him as he walked further down the hallway towards his room. She's only a robot, he told himself. She's not even that-- she's the *dream* of a robot. A robot that you'll soon feel even more exited about when you're dismantling her.
But why couldn't he believe it? Why had he been so embarrassed by letting a mere dream see his thoughts for her? Nova shook the thought from his mind, half fearing the answer. He only hoped he could get to his bed before falling asleep; his adrenaline surge had passed, leaving him with only post-climax drowsiness.
Upon entering his room and closing the door, Nova checked the plate of flan waiting on his nightstand and faintly smiled. No, it hadn't been sneezed on this time. However, he doubted he could stay awake for even that hopeful pleasure-- stress had all but shorted out his quasi-brain. He flopped down onto his bed, oblivious to his damp clothes, and sighed as he settled onto his back. Now, at least, he could finally get some peace of mind...
"Meow."
Nova snapped to panicked alertness-- It can't be! He looked up into Alita's face, watching over him from her perch atop his bedpost, and gasped in surprise. She couldn't have-- she followed me in!
He froze as Alita leaped down onto his pillow and boldly climbed onto his chest, glowering at him with her blazing eyes. Nova shivered; he hadn't seen anyone look at him like that since he'd received a memorable knifeblade through his skull.
The cat's expression shifted from fiery to sinister. She raised a tiny black paw, holding its claws before the sweating Professor's neck, lowering those sharp points for what seemed like an eternity...
Do nanomachines work in the Ouroboros?! He couldn't remember anything at all... it was all just a frenzied, whirling blur...
Though Nova's thoughts were, at this point, disjointed at best, he was sure he faintly heard Gally's voice from the other side of the door, calling out for her missing kitty. "Gally! Gally, Alita's right here!" Nova blurted, relieved as the girl partially opened the door. The cat paused, and instead of attacking, turned to lick Nova's face and jump down to the floor. She meowed innocently as she trotted out of the room to meet little Gally.
The Professor's mind raced with a million murderous thoughts, each of them directed solely at the beast that'd just terrorized him-- that had toyed with him, he thought. No one toyed with Desty Nova and lived to tell about it!
His plottings suddenly halted at the thought of his precious cyborg girl... the girl who loved that fleabag as a close friend... He let out a heavy sigh. Though he balked at the thought, he'd have to let Alita live, at least for now. Gally would be heartbroken if the cat were to die... and right now, Gally was all that mattered to him.
Besides, Nova consoled himself, I'm still the one in control here... aren't I?
His doubt kept him in a fretful alarm all through that night...

***END***