Heaven (Book 2 of Hell)

"Come on," I said. "It'll probably fall over before it goes out, so we better move away."

"Right," she nodded.

When we passed the spot where Paula and Gary had died, I stopped and turned. Everyone else did too and we looked at the tower one last time. I had flashbacks to a memory of something that had happened in a foreign country long ago. But this wasn't the same. That incident had been a blight on the history of mankind. But as the flames reached ever higher on this place of suffering, I couldn't help but notice the lone figure standing on the roof watching us leave.

"That's him, isn't it Edith?"

"Mr. Ryan, I can neither confirm nor deny that information at this time."

"Edith, if you call me Mr. Ryan one more time, I'm going to spank you."

"Very well.... Mr. Ryan."

Epilogue

"BECKY!"

I blinked and grinned, stepping back as the woman in question leaned into the capsule. Eric spotted her as soon as we got her back to town. They'd had a small talk and she'd requested to wake up permanently. Eric then went on a one man mission to prove his worth to wake up in the real world. Honestly though, it was humbling just to see his dedication. One little message passed through Edith to confirm and now I was happy seeing the results.

"Hey big guy," she smiled.

"You're as beautiful as I remember," Eric held her.

Becky blinked back a few tears as she smiled widely. "You're just saying that. I don't even have hair."

"Don't care, you're still pretty," he mumbled into her neck.

"He's gonna be fine," Demi sighed beside me.

"What?" I smirked. "You want in, go for it."

"Pfft," Demi chuckled softly. "And give up the chance to have you between my legs, I don't think so."

Ella giggled softly as she waited to one side.

I frowned, "I wasn't sure that was happening."

"I've got a standing offer from your first wife."

I shook my head slowly. "Alright, what order is it?"

"Ella and I are allowed to suck your dick tonight. But you're not allowed to fuck us until after you fuck Claire."

"When's that supposed to happen?" I asked, thinking about having my wives back.

"Tomorrow."

"So a few hours, or?"

"Tomorrow for us," Demi corrected herself. "They're all coming as far as I know. And at least Claire is wanting you to take certain liberties with them once they're here."

"Edith?" I called into my headset.

"I can confirm everything Demi has said," Edith replied. "I also am waiting."

My mind flashed that she was a robot. But I still tended to wake up in some combination of her, Ella and Demi. The trio of women had taken it upon themselves to keep my bed warm the last few days I've been here. With our low body mass, keeping warm at night meant bodies or blankets and Demi apparently didn't like heavy blankets.

"When you're done with the new couple, can I see you for something?" Edith asked.

"Sure thing Edith, where should I meet you?"

"The control room is fine Ryan."

I nodded and turned back to the happy couple. Becky was capable of standing, but she wasn't strong enough to do more than... "Hey," I snapped, seeing their polite kisses suddenly turn frantic.

Becky pulled away, blushing while Eric gave me an awkward smile. "Sorry, sir," Becky whispered.

"It's fine," I waved off her concern, before realising in my suit she couldn't see my smile. "Lets just get him on the gurney and we'll take him to your room."

Becky smiled, but Eric spoke up, "Our room?"

"Mhm," Becky nodded. "I'll be your personal nurse while you build your strength."

I sighed and turned to Demi, "Please tell me there's a blanket or something in there."

Demi giggled while Eric tried desperately to hide the erection that Becky was clearly enjoying the sight of. Ella did actually have a blanket though and we held it up as Becky climbed off her patient. He blushed as we bundled him up. Demi and I helped him over to the gurney and laid him down. Ella then took a few minutes going over his vitals like blood pressure and the rest. Edith had agreed that while it was mostly unnecessary, it would be useful to have a baseline in case there was an anomaly of some sort.

This was the furthest one yet from the main hub where I woke up. I had a feeling it was originally designed that people of importance went in one section, with lesser areas staged further away from the control room. I understood the need for authority to preserve peace. But erasing everyone's memories and stuffing them in capsules made that completely meaningless.

"Let's go," I told the couple.

With Demi walking ahead, I pushed the gurney with Ella guiding it with her hand. Being upright and moving about was getting easier every day. But these long walks pushing the gurneys was still beyond me. Even Demi wore a suit. Becky had assured us that she could manage the walk without, but I made sure she remained on top of the blanket when she asked to climb aboard on the trip back.

It was kinda sweet though. I could hear him mumbling to her about all the things he loved. In the end, she just stared glassy eyed with tears rolling down the sides of her face as she clung to him. I wanted to tell him to knock it off, but didn't have the heart. It took almost an hour to get back to their rooms at our slow pace. Edith had helped set up one set of dormitories. This place was designed to house thousands at once if need be and had full kitchen facilities and sleeping areas where people could hot bed. But for now, we all stayed in a central location that was some kind of officers quarters. It was more like a housemate situation. The rooms were kinda small, but the rooms were private with their own facilities and we shared a large eating area. It would be enough for my wives and I, along with Gary and Paula who were settling in nicely.

We took them to the room that Becky had been using and Ella helped the younger woman help him inside. Demi headed into the armoury where she could remove her suit. I took the gurney back to the medical station where Ella would sterilise it and put it away for tomorrow. When I pushed it back, I passed Demi on my way into the armoury. Setting the release I felt the back open and I slowly pried myself out. Getting to my own feet, I wobbled for a moment before my balance caught up. I managed it though. It was strange going between the game world and the real one. There was almost no difference that you could tell unless you really sat down and paid attention. In the game world things were just a little... Off. Kinda like when you feel someone watching you. Once I knew the difference between the real world and the game world I could spot it.

Shaking my head, I patted down my jumpsuit and took a deep breath of air. That was half the problem with the switch. Diminished lung capacity from centuries of minor use. Taking a few deep breaths helped stretch things out and promote their use, so that was something I did a lot.

I took my time heading over to the control room. Not to waste time, but to avoid tripping or falling. All my muscles worked, but my sense of balance wasn't the best, even days out of the simulation. Edith didn't mind however, and the smile she gave me as the doors opened confirmed the fact.

"Great, we have something to discuss."

"This isn't going to be where you tell us there's a secret war going on that we still need to fight?"

"No."

"Giant robots?"

"No."

"Aliens? Radioactive waste seeping in through the walls? Mutants digging tunnels?"

"No, no and... It's not a problem yet, but yes."

I blinked, "Wait, really?"

Edith nodded, "Yes, if they keep up their current pace, they'll reach the outer structure in a few months. Then... Well I'm not certain what tools and equipment they have, but it could be a few days or weeks to crack through the outer walls."

"Shit," I sighed.

"As I said, it's not a problem yet. And with people coming out of the simulation the situation can be managed."

"You mean kill them all?"

Edith shrugged, something that despite her being robotic, reminded me of how human she could be. "That's entirely up to you Ryan."

I nodded slowly, "Fine. But that's not why you wanted me to come see you, is it?"

"No," Edith frowned.

That piqued my interest. Edith was usually so damn chipper, seeing other emotions was... Odd. "Edith?"

"I need to show you something, and make a request."

I watched as she approached and offered her arm. We'd walked around like that a lot the first couple days I'd been here. Her frame was surprisingly sturdy and she directed me back towards the room where I woke.

"I was the lead scientist that built this facility," Edith said as we walked. "I controlled and built everything. I'm the one who designed the system, I created the world of Hell. I used predictive modelling programs based on the mutations we were observing to predict hundreds of years of mutations. And I did quite well with that from what I've seen on the satellite footage."

"How?" I frowned. "You're... Are you human?"

Edith sighed softly and brought me to a blank wall panel. She stood there for a moment and it suddenly sunk in, before sliding to one side, showing a capsule unlike the others. Inside was...

"What the fuck Edith?"

"I had everything I could dream of back then." Edith smiled, placing her hand on the glass dome covering what looked like her clone. "Power, money, prestige. Government ministers did what I wanted, when I wanted, how I wanted it. And then they died."

"Did... Did you?"

"No," Edith sighed and shook her head. "I think it was for the best though. Most of them weren't good people and the ones that were, chose to try and keep the peace as long as it lasted. The ones coming here, well... They were a means to an end that failed to fruit when their plane crashed."

I looked from the bald, skinny Edith with tubes down her throat inside the capsule. She was imperfect. A few scars on her face from acne. A small burn on her leg and a tattoo of a rose on her hip.

"How did... How did you become... You?"

"You were assigned to protect me. The riots were getting bad and threats had been made against my life. You brushed them aside with your confident facade and with my financial backing, you set up various safe houses. We moved around a lot back then. I worked remotely, programming, planning, setting up for the future." Edith leaned against me, and I pulled my arm around her waist. "I was supposed to be on that plane," she said softly. "I think I was the target. I'd... Made a name for myself. But I was exempt after catching the virus that ended the world.

"I thought you'd leave. I thought you'd go back to whatever family you had and I took a gun and set it aside for when you walked out the front door. You used that gun and got me to safety. You bundled me into a car, drove until we ran out of gas, then found another car. Three days later, I pulled into this facility with you asleep in the back seat. It had been abandoned after the country's leadership died. There was nothing left and I had no options."

"We were together before this happened, weren't we?"

Edith nodded slowly, "Only the one time.

I was so ill and you weren't doing well either. The other artificial intelligences cut contact when I turned off the one for this facility. They thought it had fallen. But, with your help, I made a decision. Upload a scan of my brain into the system and become the new AI. Or lose everything that made this place possible and hope that one of the other AI's took over remotely. We made love, just one time, and then I fried my own brain to become what I am."

"So what's in here then?"

Edith sighed, "My one and only hope of motherhood."

"Edith?"

"My mind is still me, Ryan. I'm still a person, with a few protocols put in place to prevent me from taking over. Something I put in myself to prevent me becoming a dictator. But this body, as much as I physically ache for it, cannot birth a child. And even without a brain, this one can."

I looked down at her old body, before looking back at Edith. "You want me to use your old body as a surrogate."

"I can handle artificial insemination if you would prefer. I can... I can even let you inseminate me, naturally and I can extract your sperm myself afterward."

"I'll have to talk to Claire-"

"She's already in agreement," Edith smiled thinly. "She doesn't know all the details yet, but I have her blessing."

I nodded slowly while my mind slowly drifted over the idea of all those pregnant bellies. "That's kinda hot."