Nonstandard Operating Procedure

Author's Note: Finally, the next chapter. Took me long enough, right? You can thank grad school for that. Sorry this chapter is shorter than the others. I think I'm going to try and finish this fic up in the next two chapters, before writing the sequel. And if you're looking at the sexual practices that this story is tagged with and are going "Hey, (insert kink) isn't in the story!", just you wait. ;) Please let me know if there are any typos that I missed. I try to get everything right, but I usually end up writing this thing at like, 4 AM, (again, thanks grad school!) And thank you, seriously, to everyone who reads and replies. I really appreciate it, and y'all are awesome. :)


After helping Spock into the shower stall, Aiko adjusted the water to a comfortable temperature, testing it occasionally with her wrist, before directing the injured half-Vulcan under it. He hissed in pain as the water ran over his open lashes, and felt his eyes sting behind closed lids as Aiko tenderly stroked his hands and face to sooth him. Shakily, he knelt and wrapped his arms around her waist, the human side of him apparently still in control. She carefully returned the embrace and continued her stroking movements over his body, trying hard not to cause excessive pain as she did so.

At first, Spock thought that she was only trying to sooth him, but opened his eyes as he felt his skin become slippery in places, as a familiar scent filled the moist air. Aiko twitched and quickly smiled down at him, her eyes glowing from partial cleaning mode, and Spock understood; she was using the soap that was produced from her pores during cleaning mode to clean him in gentle, stroking motions, instead of using an abrasive sponge or cloth. He closed his eyes once more and nuzzled his face against her stomach as his body calmed. Listening intently, he could hear the whirring of mechanics under her soft skin, and could feel an increase of heartbeat in her wrists. He pulled back suddenly with a look of confusion and then concern.

“Is something wrong, Spock?” Aiko asked, mimicking his confused and concerned expression as she reached to touch his head, at first concerned that she had hurt him. He did not pull away from her touch this time, and instead reached to hold her hand in his.

“You are exhibiting signs of fear,” Spock replied, looking up at her, “Why?”

Aiko paused and glanced at the falling shower water, and back at Spock, her face neutral. “There are certain things that this body seems to react to. Ted believes it to have something to do with the events in the life of the human whose DNA composure I was made from. Unfortunately, I do not hold her memories thus far, or else I would share them with you to better explain. It seems…illogical, as you would say, to feel fear at the sight of a shower.”

“Indeed,” Spock agreed, before adding, “It would seem illogical without the rest of the facts.”

The half-bot nodded in agreement, and pulled the half-Vulcan close to her once more, her body trembling slightly as his did, though for different reasons. With a slight smile, Spock held her back again, squeezing slightly, as she seemed to appreciate this gesture; her heartbeat notably slowed.

“I would not let harm to come to you while I was present,” Spock added quietly, trailing his fingertips down her back, causing her to gasp sharply from the sensation. Her arms wrapped tightly around him, pressing his face against her chest, and noticed for the first time, a blinking blue light between her lower throat and upper chest, usually covered by her uniform. Spock raised an eyebrow, but Aiko shifted and looked away.

“I know,” she replied. She paused for another long moment before adding, “Of all of my clients, it will be hardest to say goodbye to you.”

“I do not wish to say goodbye to you,” Spock said, his hands entwining with hers.

“But I cannot stay,” answered Aiko, “You are first officer of the starship, Enterprise. I am a comfort-bot.” She turned to look back at him, her eyes shining and humanely sad.

“All officers have mandatory leave,” Spock reminded, and Aiko smiled down at him.

“You would wish to spend your leaves with me?” she asked quietly.

“Yes,” he answered without hesitation, his eyes meeting hers.

Aiko stared neutrally down at Spock for a moment, before her face broke into a smile, and she blinked back tears, her cheeks flushing. She slid to her knees, where Spock caught her with a kiss that she melted into. Her small hands stroked over Spock’s high cheekbones, before caressing his ears, causing him to gasp into the kiss. His own hands traveled down her sides, before swooping under to cup and stroke the delicate undersides of her breasts. Inhaling sharply, Aiko broke from the kiss and moaned softly towards the shower’s ceiling. The half-Vulcan studied her curiously as he continued to stroke her breasts, his gentle touch occasionally sweeping over her nipples. She twitched and clung to him as she experienced waves of over-stimulated climax, causing him to wince softly, though he made no attempt to loosen her grip.

Aiko panted shakily, her embrace loosening as she came down from the intense orgasm, until her arms dropped limply to her sides. Spock cupped her chin in one graceful hand and looked into her eyes, discovering them to be fully filled with pupil. She smiled dreamily up at him in a hormone-induced daze, and Spock smiled faintly as he ran his fingers through her shiny waterproof hair.

“Spock?” she asked after a few moments.

“Yes, Aiko?” he answered.

“I believe I am now cured of my fear of showers,” she replied as she straightened, before adding, “And I am now fully functional.”

“Good to hear,” Spock replied, raising an eyebrow as he watched her move to turn off the shower and reach for a towel. She wrapped the towel around him, gently dabbing his skin dry. Spock locked his jaw, but held completely still until she motioned for him to stand.

“I hurt you earlier when I held you,” Aiko said suddenly, her eyes sad, “I am sorry. You did not ask me to, and I did not mean to.”

Spock was quiet a moment; he had hoped that she had not noticed his response. “I am fine, Aiko,” he assured, “Do not worry about hurting me.”

“I am not programmed to bring pain without specific order, unless in defense of myself or another,” she explained, her thin eyebrows tensing for the first time since Spock had known her.

Spock looked at her for a moment, pondering, before deciding how to answer. “If I had disliked what you were doing, I would have asked you to stop, Aiko. Those were your direct orders to me.”

She looked thoughtful for a moment and nodded, realizing that logic had won this round. Carefully, she embraced Spock one more time, before turning to leave the restroom area, allowing Spock some private time. He watched her leave and cocked his eyebrow, slightly bewildered by all that had just taken place.

“Fascinating, indeed,” he said to himself.

Aiko made her way to the bed, and began to remove the bedding and uniforms, wrapping them all up on the fitted bottom sheets before dropping it all into the laundry chute. She then reached into her backpack and pulled out a fresh uniform and a piece of gum wrapped in a brightly colored wrapper. She stepped into her uniform as she fiddled with the wrapper, and popped the pink confection into her mouth as she searched for sheets. She replaced the sheets, and with a content look, began to straighten and dust anything she could find in room, though being Spock’s quarters, there was very little that needed to be fixed.

Still, it made her feel useful, which made her feel good. She started to hum to herself, but heard the door to the quarter’s restroom open and stopped quickly, straightening and turning to face Spock, hoping that he had not heard. She smiled bottishly by instinct, and Spock raised an eyebrow in response, causing her look to soften as she drifted over to him. Spock stood somewhat awkwardly, wearing a towel around his waist. Aiko cocked her head slightly at the logic, but she understood, being a usually modest being as well. She led him over to the bed and guided him to lie face-down while she gathered her first aid kit. Spock turned his head to watch her as she dabbed his wounds with antiseptic. He twitched occasionally from the stinging, but stared in the direction of her data port with an intrigued look, then glanced around at the many small, flashing lights on different parts of her body and uniform. Aiko noticed his expression and held him loosely as she bandaged his back and legs, but said nothing and seemed to hide under her hair a little.

“I have been curious, Aiko,” Spock began, as he shifted into a slightly curled position on his side as she finished bandaging him, and helped him into fresh night clothes, “About a light that is on your throat. You seem to have many blinking lights, but assumed them to be indicators of proper functioning. However, the one on your throat seems different from the others.”

At the mention of it, Aiko’s hand traveled to, and hovered above the light, which was hidden by her uniform. She paused for a moment, before pulling the zipper down to her mid-chest, exposing the light.

“This light?” she asked, and Spock noted that the light blinked more brightly with each syllable of her speech. He nodded, and she lay down next to him, so that he had a closer view of the spot.

“As I am sure that you have noticed, my voice is somewhat computerized in sound, compared to the voice of a full-carbon female,” she continued, her large eyes forced neutral as she explained, “According to those who have read the notes of the late Dr. Edward Geralds, the vocal cords of the human body used in the process of creating me were unusable. Therefore, I, like many comfort-bots, have fully electronic vocal functions.”

“You were not permitted to read the notes of your own creation?” Spock asked, looking somehow disturbed by this.

“I chose not to,” Aiko replied quietly, glancing away, “I asked Ted to interpret, and he did.”

“I do not understand,” Spock stated, with a near-human look of confusion.

Aiko glanced at Spock, and then away again. “It is difficult to explain what it means to me, to read the history of the human body used to create me,” she explained slowly, “I do not contain any memory files in either side of my brain, of the life of that human. I feel I have already intruded on her privacy enough, having this body.” She kept her gaze away, quietly afraid how Spock would react to this revelation.

“If you have half of the same brain as this human, then surely you are, in some part of you, still her,” he said, reaching to touch her hand.

“Or am I a computer?” she asked, looking back at him with a wistful smile, “Is my personality that of the human before me, or is it all in my programming? I may be a programmed human-like machine with stolen human body parts. The history of the human before her end I unknown, so it is uncertain.”

Spock was quiet for a moment, but slowly pulled Aiko closer to him, causing her pose to loosen slightly as she struggled, unsure of whether to stay stoic, or let him hold her. He understood, and thought for a moment before he replied. It was this trait, possibly, that led him to always seem to know the appropriate verbal response.
“You are a child of the universe, Aiko. No less than the trees and the stars,” he said quietly into her ear, “You have a right to be here.”

She smiled up at him in reply and wrapped her arms around him, “So do you, Spock. Remember that,” she added after a moment, squeezing his hand gently, before finally relaxing into the embrace as her internal humming slowed. “It does not really matter what either of us are,” she added as she gazed up at Spock, “We are here as we are, regardless.”

“Affirmative,” replied Spock, as he subtly glanced at a zipper located on the lower back of her uniform, and raised his eyebrow at what appeared to be blinking lights, shining through. Aiko noticed the look, and smiled at his curiosity.

“I had almost forgotten about my promise to show you my data port. Would you like to see?” she asked.

“I would,” Spock replied, and leaned forward as Aiko unzipped the zipper, revealing a mass of blinking lights and what appeared, indeed, to be a data port, located in the center of the small of her back. Spock reached to touch it lightly with the tip of his pointer finger, causing Aiko to jump slightly and gasp; the sensation strange and unlike that in most of her skin. He pulled his hand away quickly and raised an eyebrow, studying her, but felt a wave of exhaustion come over him.

Aiko smiled softly and rolled over to cup Spock’s face in her palm as she nuzzled against him, sliding under him so that he laid face down, her chest serving as a pillow.

“You are tired,” she stated.

“Though I have not been awake long,” he replied.

“But you have accomplished much,” she smiled.

He paused. “Most logical,” he agreed, wincing softly as she pulled the covers around them.

Aiko paused as well as the room lights dimmed. “I am proud of you, Spock,” she said quietly in the dark. He did not reply immediately, but his embrace tightened around her waist, and she rested her hand on the back of his head, stimulating senses of peace and safety in his mind.

“Thank you, Aiko,” he murmured as he drifted off to sleep. She smiled in reply and shakily tried to start information mode, before her body won over and she slipped into sleep mode, clinging to her lover, a content expression on her sleeping face.

A few moments after they had fallen asleep, there came a signal at the door, though neither of them stirred. After a few moments, the door slid open quietly, and Captain Kirk peeked in, Dr. McCoy’s head poking in after his, scanning the room.

“I swear, Bones, I think all he’s done is sleep,” Kirk whispered as he tip-toed in.

“Well, at least that’s something,” McCoy commented, following, “I’ll just leave the stuff on his desk over there.”
“Good idea. I’ll just leave the note there, t-“Kirk began to reply before he stumbled over something in the dark and nearly fell over, causing Aiko to sit up suddenly, her eyes glowing brightly through her eyelids as she switched into protection mode in her sleep.

“Dammit, Jim!” McCoy quietly exclaimed, “Now look what you’ve done!” He pointed in Aiko’s direction.

Kirk straightened and quickly turned to look at her, as he set the note on the desk, and chuckled quietly.
“That’s just some defense mode of hers or something,” he assured quietly, “I know, because she was awake when I came in earlier, and if she’s awake, she will greet you. It’s in her programming.”

He bent down to inspect what he had tripped over. It was unlike Spock to leave things sprawled out on the floor. Raising both eyebrows, Kirk held up a short whip, still slightly green, which had been tossed aside and forgotten about in the heat of the moment. McCoy turned and looked at the whip, his eyes widening, and Aiko slumped back over in the background, causing the sleeping Spock to make a soft snoring noise. The two men stared at each other, silent for a moment.

“Who knew the pointed-eared Vulcan was such a sexual deviant?” McCoy finally snickered with a bemused look.

Kirk glanced over in Spock’s direction with a look of concern, before setting the whip down on the desk. “He wanted me to punish him, Bones,” he sighed.

“I’d say he wanted -her- to punish him, more,” the doctor retorted as he pulled several vials from his medicine kit.

The captain shook his head slowly, staring over at his sleeping friend for a moment, before looking back at McCoy. “Bones, do you think he’s all right?” he asked quietly, before gesturing at the whip, “Is that blood?”

McCoy picked up the whip to examine it more closely and sighed, before searching through his kit again.

“What is it?” Kirk asked.

“I’m leaving him some extra vitamins,” McCoy explained, “So he doesn’t lose all the nutrients in his blood and pass out or something.” Shaking his head, he grumbled and placed several more vials on the desk.

“I just don’t understand what’s going through his head, Bones,” Kirk sighed.

“Jim,” McCoy replied, turning to his friend, “I’m just an old country doctor, not a Vulcan behavioral specialist. Now let’s get out of here before we actually -do- wake them up.” His deep blue eyes scanned the dark room, before he added, “Or break our necks tripping over who-knows-what.”

Kirk nodded and made his way back to the door, followed closely by McCoy. Before leaving, he looked back again at the large lump in the bed that was Spock and Aiko.
“I hope they’re okay,” he said.

“They’re more than that, by the looks of it. I mean Jim, look at where his head is,” McCoy chuckled in reply, “Now, come on.”

Kirk smiled slightly and nodded as they turned to leave, but decided that he would check again on them in a few hours.

End note: If anyone has any ideas for this story, please speak up! You can leave them in a review, PM, email, whichever. I'd greatly appreciate it, and if I can't work something into this fic, I might use it in the sequel. :)