Drone Metastasis Ch. 05

He instinctively knew this was a rationalization to make him feel better at having given in to his base desires. Who said lying to oneself wasn't an effective coping mechanism?

It was better than admitting that, deep down, he really wanted it. That he wanted to fuck his sister's friend. To do all the nastiest things he could imagine. To ride her hard until she squealed.

It was almost sufficient payment for giving up control of his mind and body to Hive. That thought scared him the most - that all of his deepest held moral beliefs could be bought off by raw sex. Sold so cheaply.

Or maybe it hadn't been so cheap after all. He certainly didn't know how long he had been stuck in VR, or how many sexual encounters he had experienced. For all he knew, there had been hundreds of redos required for them to get him into this state.

Whatever they had done, he knew several things: he was horny as hell, and if a Hive Drone showed up right now, he'd fuck them silly, without any reservations. Sordid, but true.

Only, there was nobody else here. It seemed as though he had been dumped into the tutorial sequence of the game once again. Alone with his thoughts.

He squinted as visual snow blocked out his vision. Perhaps not truly alone, after all. Was this going to be another seduction attempt?

The snow faded, leaving behind the confused forms of Nate and Dave dressed in bland spacer uniforms. They looked around in confusion. "Where? What?" they asked, talking over each other.

"We're back in the game," said Zach blandly, eyeing his friends with suspicion. "Where have you guys been?"

Nate's portly face turned red. "I've been, uhhh, do I have to admit it?"

Dave's whiskers curled as he leered. "I've been fucking a woman dressed in a slick, latex body suit. There, I've admitted it."

He turned to Nate. "So have you. Don't deny it."

Nate raised an eyebrow, but didn't shake his head.

Zach sighed, and relaxed back in his chair. "Me too. It's like I don't have any form of resistance inside this virtual world."

Dave began to pace in the limited cabin space, putting his hands on his hips. "They call themselves Hive Drones." He turned and faced the others. "Do either of you have any idea what Hive is? Or what Drones do?"

Zach shrugged. "Not really." His face clouded. "They do seem to like to take the faces of some of the people I know in real life, though."

Nate's face went even more red, but he said nothing. Not even a joke. What the Drones had done to him must be really embarrassing if he couldn't think of anything funny to say.

Zach sighed. "Well, what can we do? Every time we've tried to find a way to defeat them, they've caught us and subjected us to... fun times."

Dave stopped pacing. "Let's be honest. They've been fucking us. Or we've been fucking them, and we've enjoyed it. None of us are that innocent."

Nate cringed, but his lips firmed. "That may be so, but it's not like we've been given much choice. They control everything we experience here in VR. Everything."

Zach smacked his thigh and stood. "That's as may be, but are we going to give up without a fight? Who are we? We're gamers!"

"Yeah, gamers!" said Nate unenthusiastically, letting himself be drawn into a shaky high five.

Dave twisted his lips, refusing to join the celebration. "What's your plan?" he asked bluntly. "Nothing we've done so far has changed anything."

Zach sighed. "Well, there is one thing. We never did get into the cargo bays on deck three. We have no idea what cargo this ship is hauling. There might be something useful there."

"Useful? Like what?" asked Dave, raising his hands into the air in frustration. "They seem to have complete control over this simulation. They could have stuffed the compartments full of heavy equipment to subdue us, for all we know!"

"That's possible, yes," said Zach, heading towards the cabin door. He turned to look at his two friends, urgency behind his words. "Our only chance of success is to be unpredictable, though. Have they really thought through all the possible scenarios? Do they have every edge case covered? I'm betting they don't - but if we don't make a move now, they're going to trap us like rats."

Shaking his head and moaning, Nate climbed to his feet and moved to follow Zach. "He's right. I want to hear what he's thinking."

His face bright with a smile he wasn't feeling, Zach continued. "Remember last time, when we found the tool box?"

"Yeah, I do," said Dave, shrugging. "I also remember being caught flat footed on the bridge and taken out without even a reasonable struggle."

Zach pointed at Dave. "Exactly. We were too slow. We have to make a move right away... no time to dally. Let's grab those tools and get down the hatch, ignoring everything else. I want to see what's in that cargo bay."

Dave shrugged. "Fine, guess there's nothing to lose. We'll probably end up fucked anyway."

"That's the spirit!" shouted Zach, rushing onto the bridge.

He ignored the beeping console, heading straight for the cylinder housing the space suit. Prizing the cylinder open, he shoved aside the pieces of the suit as they tumbled to the floor, grabbing the tool box and heading for the access ladder.

"Follow me, lads!" he shouted happily, doing his best to climb down the ladder with the toolbox grasped in one hand.

Fortunately, he only needed to descend a few decks. A longer crawl would have strained his strength, but as it was his feet dropped to the diamond plated floor with a happy thud.

He was finally taking action! Arguing with people totally drained him. He'd rather be doing something, even if it was the wrong thing.

He peeked out of the hatchway just in time for the alert klaxon to go off. "Hurry boys, we're running out of time!" he shouted, rushing to the large cargo door.

Placing the toolbox on the floor near the access console, he popped off the faceplate to reveal the nest of wiring inside.

He didn't know much about the lock mechanism, but fortunately he didn't need to - there was a broken wire staring him right in the face. Grabbing the sonic modulator, he played the tip over the frayed strands and they knitted themselves back together.

A loud huffing breath came from over his right shoulder. "Do you think that's going to fix it?" asked Nate.

Zach shrugged. "Probably. I've checked my character sheet and I have technical proficiency."

He turned over the disconnected panel and the hatch started to creak open. "There, now we get to see what's inside."

Dave bent over, moving under the opening door. Zach swallowed, stopping himself from telling him to wait. They all wanted to know what was inside.

He dropped the sonic modulator in the toolbox and grabbed a crowbar, creeping after Dave on tenterhooks. The robotic invaders could show up at any time.

"They're... crates," said Dave in a monotone. "Are we in a first person shooter? What the hell is this?"

He was standing in front of a maze of wooden crates, stacked haphazardly. Several pathways had been left through the stacks, making the hold look an untidy jumble.

Zach stepped up to a crate and jammed his crowbar under the lid, prying the nailed boards upwards with a creak. Nate pulled on the top, setting it aside to gape at the contents.

Zach's breath caught in his throat. The crate was packed to the brim with shiny metallic tanks. Near the top of each silver dome was a black mask, straps bundled neatly into the face plate.

"Shit," mumbled Dave. "Here, let me see that."

He grabbed the crowbar from Zach's limp hands without waiting for an answer. Proceeding to the next crate, he neatly popped the lid off. "Black bodysuits," he murmured. "More Dronewear."

He moved to the next. For once, his face brightened. He grinned and reached inside, fetching a black cylinder. "Shocksticks," he declared, thumbing the button. A burst of electricity spring from the tip.

"Here, catch!" he said, tossing one to Nate, who grabbed it reflexively.

Zach moved forward cautiously and retrieved one for himself. "I don't like this," he said. "If this bay is filled with a shipment of Drone equipment, then that means..."

"It means that you are working for Hive," said a smooth voice, overlaying his. "We all do Her will, in our own ways."

He turned, jerking as he recognized the speaker. She was dressed in an emerald bodysuit, her skin blued, but even though her features had been altered, her knew this was his sister. Or, at least, a passable virtual simulacrum.

She appeared alone, but it was unlikely Hive would send a Drone to confront them without any support. Even one taking Zoe's form.

He scanned the bay cautiously, approaching her slowly with the shockstick grasped tightly in his palm. He hoped it wouldn't come to it, but if he had to he'd stun her with it and make a break for it.

She lifted a hand towards him, palm upwards. "You know the truth already," came her low, husky voice. "You already belong to and obey Hive. You helped to load these supplies, under Hive's orders. You will help to deliver them. Others will experience the joy of submitting, just as you have."

Dave stepped forward, shockstick extended as he circled to the left. "I don't buy it," he said, looking around nervously. "If we're already Drones, why would you bother coming here to confront us?"

Zoe Drone's lips curled gently. "That's simple. You only need to be triggered. Blue Orchid," she whispered, pretending to blow dust from her hand at him.

He flinched, eyes flickering. "That didn't do anything," he slurred. "I'm not a Drone."

He gaped and his mouth flopped open. His body shook, and he collapsed to the floor.

"Sorry Dave," Nate said mechanically, pressing a shockstick into his back. "We are meant to be Drones. I am already a Drone. We are Drones."

Large spherical balls rolled into the docking bay, flanking Zoe on either side. Their compact bodies unfolded, tendrils extending from within the shiny chrome. The legs jacked up the bodies of the robots until they were suspended in mid air. They looked like large cephalopods, red eyes staring at them from within metallic carcasses.

"I know you too well, Zach," said Zoe. "You don't give up unless victory is impossible. I made sure to bring plenty of reinforcements."

Zach shuddered, backing away. He knew he couldn't get past them, even with the shock stick. With his friends out of action, his only option was to run.

He turned, slamming into a soft body. Strong arms wrapped around his waist, pulling him in close accompanied by a deep chuckle. The impact squeezed the breath from his lungs and he was left gasping, the shockstick dropping from nerveess fingers.

"Why are you in such a hurry?" said another familiar voice. "You were quite agreeable in bed earlier."

The digital Simone squeezed him tightly with seemingly inexhaustible strength. His legs turned to jelly and he sagged into her arms.

"Do not worry," she said in a cheerful voice. "Hive has been training you for your new role. Your minds have been harnessed, transforming you into guard Drones, ensuring Hive's successful conquest of this planet."

She chortled in his ear. "You may still reject this consciously, but deep down you have already accepted this fact. Your training is almost complete."

She shifted, turning him around to face Zoe as if he was as light as a feather. His virtual sister stepped forward languidly as if she owned the place. The laces on her platform boots swayed with her hips as she approached his two friends.

Lifting a leg, she placed a boot on top of Dave's groaning body and leaned over him. He tried to shift his butt, but only succeeded in falling on his stomach. Two of the large, spherical robots walked over next to them on their stilt legs, looming electronic watchdogs.

Zoe folded her hands across her chest and tapped a finger against her upper arm, looking at them speculatively. "The lessons you learn in this virtual world will carry over into what you consider the real world. What is real here will be real there as well."

Nate stood still, staring at her with adoring eyes, ignoring Dave who was still struggling to get up. One of the robots made a metallic chittering noise and he froze.

She paused, considering. "Clearly, a few of you need some more training. One more session ought to do it."

She snapped her fingers and two more Drones entered the room, dressed in orange latex. "These two will service you and ensure that you are thinking the right thoughts."

Both of the new Drones had small spheres nestled in the curve between their breasts. One of them curled her arms around Nate and kissed him, smiling as his eyes were drawn to a sudden sparkling flash coming from her cleavage. Soon, he was mesmerized by the robot, which had opened a porthole to reveal its swirling blue innards.

The other Drone kneeled on top of Dave, rolling his body over. She leaned low to emphasize her curves, his mind soon wrapped up by her hypnotic robot. She bit her lip and tugged at his pants, revealing what she was truly after.

Stunned at how quickly the situation had devolved, Zach didn't even try to struggle. Not that it would have done much good, for Simone's arms were like iron bars.

Simone swung him about, turning him to face the open crates. "Now, put on the clothing and accept your new slave persona."

Simone kissed him on the cheek and let him go, gently pushing him towards the box. He hesitated for a moment, looking at the shiny outfits. Faint noises of pleasure echoed behind him.

There was no escape. This was inevitable.

He reached for one of the suits, shivering as his fingers contacted its silky surface.