D.I.A.N.N.E. Ch. 04

"What? You can't do that!" I protested heatedly. "That's my stuff!"

"Mr. London," Gloria said calmly, stepping in close again. She was wearing a heady perfume that I quite liked. "Is there anything in your old apartment which would be better than what you see in here?"

I looked at the state-of-the-art, double-door fridge behind her, and the dishwasher of the same quality nearby. Then I thought of that huge bed, and that couch, and the plasma screen... "Well... No," I admitted begrudgingly. "But it's still my stuff. It's all I've got, you know?"

"I understand," she said with an empathetic smile. "Tell me what you would like kept and I will have it delivered here."

"Well, what about my clothes?" I demanded hotly. "I can't just get around naked!" Gloria actually eyed me up and down as if she was considering that possibility, and I felt my face flushing.

"Come with me," she said before leaving the kitchen. I followed her to the bedroom where she pulled open a door I hadn't noticed before, next to the entrance to the bathroom. My mouth fell open as I stared into a walk-in robe filled with a pretty wide selection of clothing.

"Holy shit," I muttered as I walked in and fingered a designer tee shirt hanging among several others. There was no point checking to see if it was in my size; the company would not have overlooked it, not if they were as consistent as I was beginning to believe. "This is all for me?" I should have been over the moon to have all this stuff just handed to me, but that uneasy feeling crept back in. Should I really be accepting all this? There had to be a price for it all at some point, right? Financial or otherwise.

"It's too much," I told Gloria as I turned to her. She was standing nearby, in the wardrobe's doorway with her hands clasped behind her back as she had earlier. It was almost a military pose. "This apartment, the clothes, this is all just... Too much."

She eyed me for a few moments, then finally nodded. "I can see how it might be overwhelming for you, Mr. London, but I encourage you to consider the depth of the service you are providing by testing the Dianne hardware. The Company rewards those according to their contributions, and you are contributing greatly, so I understand."

That sounded similar to something Dianne had said to me not long ago. Was I so unwilling to believe that I was actually useful to the world, or at least to one company? Was I rejecting the gifts out of suspicion, or out of inability to receive good things? If I say no, what will I be going back to? A crappy apartment and a crappier life? No job, no girlfriend, no hope? Even if there is some horrible cost for all this later on, I'm probably still better off with the Company, whoever they are.

"Okay, I'll stay on," I said finally. "I may as well see where this all leads."

Gloria beamed, flashing straight white teeth. "Very well, Mr. London. I am glad to hear that. If there is nothing else, I will leave you to settle in." She fished a card out of her pocket and handed it to me. It was plain white with a black phone number printed on one side. No name, no logo, nothing else. "I am your assigned driver, Mr. London," she said. "Any time of the day or night, call or text that number and I will pick you up."

"Really?" I asked dumbly.

"Yes. It is part of your benefits package."

Benefits package? That's one term for it. "Thanks, Gloria," I replied awkwardly. "But I don't think I'll be needing that service; I don't get out much."

"Even so, keep it, Mr. London," she insisted. "You never know when it might come in handy." At that, she turned and left the bedroom. I stood where I was, turning the card over in my hands as her heels hit the tiles in the hallway and clicked toward the door. She let herself out while I was lost in my own thoughts.

What I didn't realise at the time was: I'd never considered the fact that if I said no, would they have let me go?

*

A short time later, the movers arrived with what little remained of my stuff; my few books, my DVD collection and my PC and consoles. I felt a pang of loss when my armchair didn't arrive, but a glance at the new couch in the living room soothed the pain quickly enough.

Once the movers had departed, I set about setting up the most important part of my life; the games. Leaving the PC boxed up for now, I unpacked Dianne and found that she fit perfectly into the centre space of the TV cabinet, as if it were custom-made for her. Coincidence? Unlikely.

There were enough slots for my consoles, too, which were accessed by sliding panels on the cabinet that would keep them hidden when not in use. I was pleasantly surprised to find a satellite TV box behind one of the panels. I'd never had satellite or cable before. I put everything in its place before turning on the power. Dianne chirped to life right away.

"Good afternoon, Jake. I trust your new accommodations are adequate?"

"Very much," I answered as I sat back on the couch with remotes in my hand, one for the TV, one for the satellite box. "Too much, really." I flicked the TV on and was greeted by a crisp, clear picture of some news channel. I started switching channels, not really interested in watching anything, but seeing what was what.

"I believe you will overcome that feeling, Jake," Dianne offered wisely. "As you settle in."

"No doubt," I said with a sigh, still feeling somewhat uncomfortable at my sudden transition. The TV was helping, surfing channels was turning my brain off. "This satellite TV is all paid for? How many channels are there?" I was already up to channel forty, with no end in sight.

"You have access to all available channels, courtesy of the Company, Jake," Dianne replied smoothly. My heart skipped a beat as I flicked past a channel showing some scantily clad women entwined with each other. Hurriedly flicking back, I was treated to the sight of three blonde babes making out, wearing only bikinis. A world-famous symbol lay in the bottom right of the screen, a black silhouette of a rabbit's head.

"I get the Playboy channel?" I asked excitedly.

"Yes, Jake."

"Sweet!" I crowed as I sat back and watched the women begin to undress each other, pulling on the strings of the bikinis. After a minute or two, however, I realised that porn wasn't as exciting for me as it once had been. How could it be? I had access to Dianne, which trumped porn by miles. It wasn't even in the same league. These thoughts brought me to leave the couch long enough to retrieve the headband from Dianne and put it on. Kneeling on the floor before the TV, I wondered what I should do; I could keep training with Tifa, or I could do something else.

"Fuck it," I muttered to myself as I went back to the couch. "Might as well get myself another beating. I hope there's a sweet reward at the end again." Settling back into the corner of the couch, I closed my eyes.

In the MAP, I glanced at the status screen. My physical stat was now twenty-four, and my mental and social were twenty-eight and sixteen respectively. I'd grown a few points since last time I'd looked, but I didn't really feel any different. Nearby, my inglorious holographic body rotated slowly. I frowned and moved closer, studying it with a critical eye. "I am thinner," I remarked softly, looking down at myself to compare. It was marginal, but undeniable. Feeling a swell of fresh motivation, I addressed Dianne. "Dianne?"

*Yes, Jake?*

"I'd like to continue my training with Tifa."

"As you wish, Jake," Dianne replied. As soon as she finished speaking, a section of floor panels changed from white to blue, as they had last time. Tifa appeared in the blue area, and she smiled when she saw me approaching.

"Hi there," she said as I crossed the threshold into the training sim. "Ready for more?" Her wink made me blush. I was still a far cry from having control of my awkwardness around women.

"Yes," I replied.

"Sounds good!" She enthused as she began stretching energetically. She stopped momentarily to look me up and down. "Are we training naked today?"

I blushed again when I realised that I hadn't put clothes on myself since entering the MAP, then I got annoyed at my embarrassment. We'd had sex, so why would I feel embarrassed? "You know what? I think we should," I answered with more confidence than I felt. "Just don't take any cheap shots."

She giggled and began peeling her clothes off. "Why not? I always used to train in the nude, anyway." I watched entranced as she disrobed. What had I done? There was no way I'd be able to concentrate on fighting if she was naked! Suddenly regretting my choice, I resigned myself to my fate. "We'll work on grappling, this time, I think," she told me as she finished undressing, tossing her underwear aside.

"Uh, sure," I mumbled, unable to manage much more as I drank in the sight of her perfect body. I was so turned on already that I had little hope of retaining anything I learned here, today. Suddenly she was rushing forward in a pale flash. I raised my hands defensively, but she somehow wrapped me up and spun around behind me, her warm, soft body pressed against my back. My arms were extended up above my head, and her hands were locked together behind my neck.

"This," she said into my ear. "Is called a nelson hold. You can get out of it, if you know how." I struggled, but she was too strong. She shifted her grip, then, and moved to the side until only one of my arms was trapped, but her wrists were locked tightly around my neck and one shoulder. "And this is a quarter nelson." She held me like that for a few seconds, and I was torn between the discomfort of the hold and the pleasant feeling of her body so close.

She released me, and I turned to face her, working my strained arms and neck. "Think you can do that to me?" She asked. Eager to have her in my arms, even for training purposes, I nodded eagerly and moved in, letting her adjust me and instruct me as I learned the holds.

We worked for some time, and I'm pretty sure I remained horny for the entire session, but Tifa was a good teacher, and the lesson was both sexy as hell as well as educational. My favourite part had been near the end, when we'd worked on various 'mounts.' Having a naked Tifa on top of me had made it the most fun and exciting grappling class ever conducted.

When I left the training sim, I was sore and sweaty, but happy. As I'd hoped, we'd finished the session with a fuck. The talented girl had even worked in some of the holds she'd taught me. Strangely, I thought I may have absorbed more of the lesson with the sex than I would have without. Who said learning couldn't be fun? I checked the status screen again to see my stats had updated to twenty-six, twenty-nine and eighteen. If I kept this up, I would be one impressive individual within the next few months; one of those rare specimens of humanity who were fit, smart and good with people.

I pulled off the head piece to see afternoon sun slanting in through the tall windows of the living room. My clothes were soaked, so I got up and removed them. I didn't bother putting more on; I would be in the shower soon enough. I also wasn't worried about anyone seeing in from outside; the windows were all tinted, plus there were no other buildings close enough. Feeling a little hungry, I pulled open the fridge door, not really expecting to see anything, but my mouth fell open at what was inside.

"Holy shit!" I breathed with a toothy grin as my eyes ate up the sight of the treasures therein. All my favourite things were there; hot dogs, burgers, sausages, yoghurt, cheeses, the works! There was also a whole shelf dedicated to craft beer! The pantry was even more bountiful. My recent fears about my future with the Company were allayed slightly. If this was how I was going to be living, what did I have to complain about? I knew that thought was irrational, but I didn't bother exploring the holes in my perspective further; I was too hungry!

Gleefully, I threw a feast together, only stopping to take a quick shower -- and what a shower! -- and plopped down on the couch with a massive plate of food in each hand. A round of camembert cheese and a pile of crackers, two kabanas cut into pieces, some feta-stuffed green olives, two ham, cheese and mustard sandwiches on thick white bread, three pots of dip in avocado, French onion and olive, along with a mountain of potato chips. It should be enough to keep me going for at least a couple of hours.

In my haste, I hadn't bothered to get dressed again; the towel around my waist would suffice for now. If I was going to live in this kind of luxury, I would damn well do what I pleased! As I devoured the food, I let my thoughts tick over. After only two training sessions with Tifa, I felt marginally stronger, but not enough to get back in the ring in Tekken. Was there a faster way for me to learn? To grow more powerful? Maybe if I built on my brain, I would come up with more creative ways to develop, but then if I just worked on my physical side, I would surely see results anyway. Brains or brawn? That was the real question. I wasn't sure what to do about social, yet, but it wasn't really my priority right now.

My phone beeped where I'd left it lying on the couch next to the remotes. It was Debbie, asking what my new place was like.

*I'd tell you, but you won't believe me until I show you.* I wrote with a smile. The reply came back quickly.

*That good? I have to see it! When are you inviting me over next? ;p*

I thought about it for a moment. I wanted to see her again right away, but I didn't want to sound too eager. "Fuck it," I muttered as my fingers began to press buttons. *How about tonight?*

*Working late :( tomorrow free though?*

*Sounds good,* I wrote back. *6pm OK?*

*Perfect! Can't wait xoxo.*

I put the phone down, grinning around a mouthful of cracker and dip. I was actually starting to feel pretty good about myself. My buoyant mood was threatened by another beep from my phone. It was Melinda from DP Games asking me when I was planning on bringing my uniform back. Grumbling under my breath, I responded, telling her it would be done tomorrow. "I'd rather burn the damn thing," I said to myself as I munched away. Despite Melinda, I was still feeling good, overall. I was eating excellent food and things seemed to be all good with Debbie. On top of that, I now lived in a bloody palace -- well it was a palace to me -- and didn't have to pay any rent!

Afternoon snack complete, I stashed my plates on the kitchen bench and came back to the loungeroom. I stood there for a minute, frowning and studying Dianne in her little hole beneath the TV as I thought about what to do next. I was a bit over combat for now, though I hadn't forgotten my promise to Tifa about getting her into the Iron Fist Tournament. "So many options," I mused, chewing my lip. On a whim, I opened the box with all my games in it and began to pack them into the TV unit drawers next to Dianne. One such PC game caught my eye: Diablo.

Was I brave enough for this? I could only imagine what a fully virtually-rendered experience of Diablo would be like. I felt a surge of excitement at the prospect of delving into the unknown. With a grin, I retrieved the disc from the case and popped it into Dianne's disc drawer, which opened without me having to ask. Settling back on the couch, I donned the headpiece and closed my eyes.

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END OF CHAPTER FOUR

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