Note: You can change font size, font face, and turn on dark mode by clicking the "A" icon tab in the Story Info Box.
You can temporarily switch back to a Classic Literotica® experience during our ongoing public Beta testing. Please consider leaving feedback on issues you experience or suggest improvements.
Click here
- James, glad you are still alive - Veronica had her hand pressed to her comm device - how are you holding up? That's good. That's not good.
There was a long pause.
- Right, we'll be ready. Thanks for the head's up.
- What's going on?
- Good news, boys are still alive, if barely, but out of everything, no med kits, no ammo, nothing. Bad news, the boss lost interest in them and seems to be heading our way.
- So we are fucked?
- Most likely, unless we figure out what are we looking at. But at least we know that we are at the right place.
I looked around trying to find something out of place, a hook that I could use to piece some hints together and maybe figure out why all of this here is important. I walked to the consoles, but all the screens were showing some readings of power output and temperature and coolant flow, but zero useful information. What I assumed to be batteries had no displays whatsoever, just a clean, chrome chassis several feet wide and twice as tall with serial numbers and specs.
Wait, maybe I am looking at this wrong?
- Hey - I called Veronica - when you see this, doesn't it look out of place to you?
- What do you mean? Like, that antenna thing in the middle?
- No, all of it. It's all new. No rust, no damage, not even any sign of usage. Compared to everything else in this place, enemies included, this is the only thing that is not falling apart.
- Wait, wait, wait - she pulled up her HUD - what is your shield at?
- Should be full by now, let me...
I saw the glowing blue icon of the shield. It showed [40]. But the maximum capacity was 30. I looked at Veronica but didn't need to say anything. We were both slowly coming to the same conclusion, she just had more knowledge about the game.
- Now it makes sense - she fumed, searching through her equipment list - why we couldn't get that fucking shield down. I saw something like this already, well, with a similar function, just on later levels. A piece of crap was getting a boost from this thing here. Now that we are close enough we also get the benefit, but over a long distance, it works only on specified units.
A single charge of C4 appeared in her hand.
- I also have one EMP 'nade and two frags, but they won't do much damage to the installation - she stuck the explosive to the antenna - and I would rather use them against the boss, once the shield is down.
- Do we have a plan, or are we winging it?
- Would be nice if we could hit it with the C4 too. You know, two for one - she shrugged, handing me one of the frags.
The ceiling fell down and right after a giant robot landed in the middle of the rubble. If a machine could look pissed off, this would be the first search result. The visor scanned the room and hid behind the plating when it spotted us. But it didn't charge, this time it slowly walked forward, as if it knew better than to destroy the machines.
- Go, I will be the bait - I pushed Veronica away - blow it up on my mark.
- What?!
- I know what I'm doing, trust me on this one.
She wanted to argue further but decided against it after a second.
- Promise me you won't get yourself killed.
- I promise - I gave her a half-smile - Now go.
As she dashed between the rows of generators and batteries the visor popped back out, but I focused its attention on me with a few shots from my pistol. The bigger gun would just slow me down and I wouldn't do any damage either way.
- That's right, come and get me - I pulled the trigger again - I am right here.
I took a few steps back, trying to keep my distance from the boss until I pressed my back against the antenna. The blinking light of the C4 was just beside my head, but I couldn't let myself get distracted.
The attack came just as I suspected. A wide swing from the side, predictable, but still deadly. Anyone sane would want to stay as far away as possible.
That's why I dodged forward.
The giant fist flew in a wide arc behind my back as I came right to the torso of the enemy, grabbed one of many edges on its armor, and started climbing.
Then came the second strike. I also anticipated this one, remembering how it reacted when James touched it back in the first room. The other arm tried to grab me but I was ready.
[Disengage]
I never had the chance to test out this ability, and doing it now was a stupid idea, but it worked perfectly. In a split second, I knew exactly how to move to get away, and climbed up just as the hand closed on a space where I was just a moment ago.
As the momentum of both attacks turned the boss around I followed one dumb move with another, an even more crazy one. I moved onto its back, now facing the antenna, and used gaps in the armor as handholds to hang as far back as I could, trying to make the robot lose balance.
Maybe it was because I applied the weight at a point high enough to matter, or because of the helping inertia from its previous strikes, or simply because the killer machine never had to deal with an attack like this and didn't know how to react, but it worked.
The whole body slowly tipped backward.
I pulled myself forward, feeling the muscles in my arms starting to hurt from exhaustion, but the alternative was being squashed between the who knows how heavy robot and an industrial installation. Thanks to it not having the head I didn't have to worry about tripping on anything as I got ready to jump.
But that also meant that the boss didn't have to worry about taking its own head off when it took another wild swing with its fist.
The notification blinked again as I used the ability, and I dived forward, sailing right over the incoming arm and onto the floor, while the enemy made contact with the metal construction behind it with a grinding noise of breaking steel.
- Blow it up! Blow it up! - I shouted crawling behind the nearest battery pack - before it stands back up!
Two different waves hit me nearly simultaneously. The first one was the shockwave from the C4 explosion, which threw me against the wall and thanks to being in an enclosed space almost squeezed my brain out through my ears. Then came the EMP wave from the shield booster antenna, and my whole notification bar turned red.
I felt like my head was about to pop, my vision was so blurry I could hardly even see my hands, and all of the sounds were replaced with a high-pitched noise that was drilling a hole through my skull. On top of that, I couldn't move my right arm after it took the impact when I hit the wall. At least I guessed that was the reason. Or hoped so.
I sat up, resting my back against the nearby battery pack, trying to get my bearing together. Air was thick with dust and smoke, and the light flickered in and out. It was a miracle that even a single lamp managed to survive the pressure wave.
There was another noise, one that sounded faintly familiar. Was someone shouting? It was hard to make out from all the ringing in my head.
Another blast wave shook the building. This one was smaller than the previous one. Still, it was like getting hit with a haymaker after getting smashed with a sledgehammer. Not as bad, but I wouldn't choose either if I could.
Wait. We didn't have more explosives, so how?
Oh no.
I forced myself to stand up. There it was. The majestic fucker itself. With its smaller arm blown off, but still alive and kicking. Or more precisely, reloading a rocket launcher with its visor thrashing around, trying to find a target.
I opened fire with my pistol, flash-melting a few spots on its plating, one of which luckily landed on the orb itself, forcing it to retract. No shield in sight now, you piece of scrap. Despite that, I wasn't trying to do much damage, I just needed a distraction and a few seconds to get close.
I limped forward, clutching the frag I got from Veronica in my left hand. I stood as close as I could without touching the metal frame and pulled the pin.
The plating slid apart, and the visor moved out, creating a small pocket inside the machinery. One that could perfectly fit a live grenade. The lens focused on me as I dived elbow-deep and placed a small, handheld explosive deep inside innards of its robotic body.
And then it decided to retract the visor, pushing the frag even further in and slam the plates shut. With my hand still inside.
Even through the haze clouding my mind I knew I won't be fast enough, but that damn ability was not working! Disengage goddamn it!
[E+ 0]
Oh.
The pain as my forearm was crushed was only momentary. The sight of the still working siege-fist accelerating my way was much worse.
If the first shockwave was a sledgehammer then this must be how it feels like to be hit by a freight train. Funny, you experience so many new things when you end up in situations far beyond your control.
I could feel my whole body flying backward, and the world turned black.
------------|V|------------
Good thing I remembered that I was inside the game, and have not, in fact, died for real. I would be lying if I said, that I did not panic at all, and calmed down only after noticing the elements of the interface.
The space I was in reminded me of the training arena, but not because it was visually similar. Well, maybe it was, but it was too dark to see any shapes, so let's assume it's not the same. It was the vibe, the ambient. The air was still, there was no noise whatsoever, no smell, nothing, it was utterly devoid of any distinctive characteristics. That is if you don't count the lack of any characteristics as a unique feature itself.
I was faintly aware of my body. I knew I still had my arms and legs and everything else, but couldn't move at all. Despite that, it was not uncomfortable. I was just floating in a dark space, waiting for something to happen.
Then I noticed the timer. It was in the upper, left corner of my vision if that makes sense. And it was going down, second after second.
I don't know why, but at this point I was calm. I watched the countdown and didn't even bother focusing on it for long enough to determine how much time was left. I just saw the last digit changing as time ticked away. Three, two, one, zero, then nine again. Who knows how many more times it will go from zero to nine, before it finally stops, but then again, who cares?
I was semi-content. It was a weird state to be in. I was almost sure that I took that fucker down, and even if it lived, Veronica could handle it. She was strong. She is strong. I couldn't do it without her. But that no longer mattered, since in just a few moments I will be back in the training arena, scrolling through the characters.
I should be happy, that was always my goal. To go back, and start again in a new body.
But now, I wasn't so sure. Both the weapons and the abilities were great. I just had to learn how to use them properly, in sync with the rest of my build. But now, that I got the hang of it I started to enjoy the game. And I was only, what, level seven? Out of how many? There was still so much to discover, so much to experience.
So much to experience.
I wasn't convinced, not at all. Maybe curious, but no more than that. Who wouldn't be, after getting put through what Veronica put me through?
I caught myself making it sound as if she forced me to do anything. I didn't catch it at first, but that was just my ego speaking, my male ego. The default state, if you will. It tried to convince me, that enjoying things was wrong, simply because I wasn't doing it in the way I was used to.
But if you think about it, in the real world we all are just brains that are controlling suits made of flesh, skin, and bone. At least that's what I read on some 5-am-thoughts website. But right now, it made sense. In this game, I was still the same brain, that at the moment was controlling a different body. In the real world, the brain used what it had available to the best of its ability, and it would do the same here. Which means, I should try to do the same here.
Damn, I should not go this deep while sober. Fuck that, let's log out, call the boys, get drunk and forget all of this. All of this. Everything.
Why does it feel like I am running away?
Then I heard the voice in the distance, something slammed into my sternum making me spit out my breath, and once again I lost consciousness.
------------|V|------------
The first thing I noticed, I wasn't floating in a no-space anymore. That was because I felt that I was laying on something cold, and my arms hurt, my legs hurt, and my chest and my head too.
All in all, it wasn't the best state that I was in after a party, but at the same time, it wasn't the worst.
I started making out the shapes, as my sight cleared out. There was a ceiling, with a lamp that was shining right into my eyes. I looked away, squinting. Someone was leaning down over me, with one arm holding my shoulder and the other pressed against my chest.
Now that I focused on the other hand I could see it was clutching the needle sticking out from between my breasts. This situation required some questions to be asked.
- Wha... What? - I mumbled.
Good start.
The hand with the injector moved up and threw the ampoule away. Then it grabbed my other shoulder, positioning me in a way that I was facing someone.
I recognized that someone. It was that girl that I liked. What was her name?
- Val! Valerie!
No, that was not it. But it started with the same letter.
- Veronica? - I tried. That sounded close enough.
The world slowly stopped spinning, and I could make some more details. I was laying down on a battery pack, with Vera sitting right next to me. She looked worried. There was a wet line running from her eye down her cheek.
I placed my palm on the side of her face and wiped the glistening wet trail with my thumb.
- You promised me that you won't die - she whispered.
- And I kept my word - I moved my hand behind her head, my fingers weaving into her hair - still alive, see?
- But you almost didn't make it - she moved even closer - and you had no idea if that plan would work. Why would you even try it?
- As you said - I smiled - Isn't it better when you don't expect it?
I pulled her close. Or maybe she did. Doesn't matter at this point.
Our lips connected. Gently, like a brush of a feather. I felt the soft wetness of her mouth against mine, the hint of cherry flavor teasing me, enticing me to take another sample and delight myself with the taste. I yearned for another chance to experience it, feel the texture, the warmth, and every other little detail she had to offer.
But she moved back.
- You have no idea how worried I was that I would lose you - another tear streaked down her face - and how glad I am, that I didn't.
I squeezed her hair tighter and wrapped my other hand around her waist, pulling her body against mine. You won't deny me this time.
- Show me how glad you are.
That was all it took.
She mimicked my move and took it even further. Her hand got lost in my hair, as she took control of my head, then pulled my back into an arch with her other arm.
She forced my lips open, her dexterous tongue pushing forward, wrestling mine into submission in short order. I wouldn't have it any other way. Even when I tried to get some control back, it ended up more as a weak-willed excuse to provoke and entice her to fight back even more fiercely.
She pressed her body against mine, laying on top of me. I could feel every soft curve, her breasts making full contact, her hips grinding against my thigh. Her hands traced all over my smaller frame until they ended up pushed between our soft mounds, pressing my chest even harder against the ground, causing me to moan into her luscious lips.
She moved one of her legs between my knees, then upwards, until her upper thigh connected with my nether regions, just like when she took me for the first time. Except for this time, it was up to me to work for my pleasure.
I moved my hands to her hips, then decided we were long past that point and slid them further, taking full grasp of her butt. This in turn forced a moan from her, one which I took great delight in hearing.
She moved her body as far up as she could without breaking apart our lips, but I still couldn't reach as far as I wanted with my hands, barely getting past the curve of her ass. Her larger frame was proving to be a challenge to conquer, even when she was making it easy for me. It was so hot knowing how much bigger she was than me, feeling her weight keeping me pinned, it was making me wet with excitement. I suddenly understood why girls always want a guy that is at least 6 feet tall.
I arched my back even further, getting ready to feel that thick thigh sliding up and down, to work my hips against it until I couldn't move my legs anymore.
- Not that I do not enjoy the show - there came a new voice from the side - but the ambiance is ruining the scene. Could you continue it once we get out of here? Somewhere with better lighting?
I pushed Veronica away, frantically searching for the source of the sound.
- Do you really not know when to keep your damn mouth shut? - Vera sat up on my hips and crossed her arms looking at James - and just once try to not make everything all about you.
- Wait, wait, wait! - I tried to crawl out from under her but to no avail - How long was he standing there?!
- He can hear you, you know? - James grunted, typing something on his open HUD - but don't let me stop you, pretend that I am not here.
Veronica looked down at me with a hungry smile.
- I don't mind.
What?!
- But I do! - I finally managed to squeeze out from between her legs - What the fuck are you even doing here?
- Yeah, I guess it's a bit much for... - she made a pause, looking intently at James - were you recording this?
- What? No - he pressed a few more buttons and closed his HUD, answering with a tone that made it clear that he was lying - why would you even suggest something like that?
- Don't fucking play all innocent with me - she moved off of the battery and walked towards him - I saw the red icon on your screen.
- I swear, I would never try to immortalize your passionate moment of pleasure for my future enjoyment. I would never do anything like that - he leaned closer and covered his mouth in an exaggerated gesture - but I can send it to you if you want.
He popped back up his interface and just a second later I got a notification about a received message on my quick-status bar.
- On the house, for both of you, don't thank me. Pleasure is truly all mine - he winked at me - Don't worry, I will delete it later.
He made a finger-guns gesture and with that he was gone, leaving just the two of us in the room.
- I will just put a bullet through his head the next time - Vera sighed - why do I even put up with this anymore?
There was too much to think about at the same time, so I just sat on the battery pack. Huh, it was laying on its side, that's why it was so long and not tall.
- Sorry honey, that killed the mood - Veronica sat beside me - by the way, how do you feel? You know, back from the dead?
- Yeah, that was one hell of a cock-block. Do girls use the same phrase or some other? - I looked at her, then quickly back at my feet, before I made her laugh - Right, change the subject, I died, yeah, it was cool, yup. Cool.
- To be precise, you didn't die - she explained - just took enough damage to knock you unconscious. You also were bleeding out, which would kill you given enough time, but thankfully the guys were back before that happened. After you blew up the boss, sick move, by the way, don't ever try this again, and got smashed into the wall you went down. I called the guys and they were coming back through the first room where we fought. They found some loot, ammo, and most importantly, med-kits. They got here as fast as they could, I jabbed you with a plus pack James handed me, and you know the rest. Lazar left when we started going at it, and James was a dick, as usual. To be honest, I wasn't sure if you saw them and that's why I backed off at first, but when you doubled down I assumed you did but just didn't care.
