Play Testers Wanted Pt. 11

"Weyland-Yutani?" I blurted out.

"Oh that, there was a recent buy out and the Tyrell Corporation is basically defunct. Weyland-Yutani now owns all rights and means for creating synthetic humans. Unfortunately, this didn't happen until after Project Ink was green lighted and its single product was already manufactured and escaped from its holding cell."

"Why the hell would anyone make a replicant that could shapeshift?" I asked.

"On the one hand it is the perfect pleasure model, get bored of one face or body style and with her it isn't a problem. On the military side of things, she could infiltrate enemy troops with ease and do a serious amount of damage posing as anyone from an unsuspecting technician to a high ranking general." He said smiling weakly. "Good luck finding her."

My third and last side quest activated and both Jones and Deckard left together leaving me alone at my table. I reread the document and noted that her only crime was escaping the lab. She hadn't hurt anyone, yet. A clever shifter could hide anywhere and if they were especially smart never reveal themselves. I had my job cut out for me. I pondered ideas on how to draw her out and reveal her true nature. After breakfast I decided a little foot tour might help me clear my head and see how much work the dev team put into this place. Maybe it was spending time with Doctor Jones, but I found myself right outside the New Gotham History Museum. A sign by the front door advertised the latest display of pre-Columbian artifacts discovered by a Professor Croft. Was she in town or were this just her discoveries? I wandered in.

I heard someone speaking and used that as my guide. A small well-dressed crowd surrounded the very Vincent Price looking fellow that was describing the display with a cultured voice, subtle yet leading hand gestures, and a friendly smile. This latest site had yielded some groundbreaking objects and opened a whole new window of understanding of the culture and their beliefs. The guide moved on to the next display and near one of the outer walls was a free-standing metallic frame that cycled through not just the museum's attractions but others as well. One of those being none other than the ultra-popular Numenor's Star Wars full dive game. I was confused as to why they'd be advertising within their own game unless I wasn't inside the main game continuity. Was I playing my way through one long ass commercial? Curious I blended with the crowd and listened to them, not the guide.

"Jim, this is amazing," one woman whispered excitedly. "I can feel everything! I can smell your cologne."

"Wait until we hit the strip club, you won't believe how real that is going to feel." Jim replied with a lecherous grin.

"You dirty old man," she replied. "I feel thirty years younger, no pain, no aches... it is a miracle."

"Do you think she'll show up," Another woman asked her partner.

"I hope so, I've been a fan for years," the other woman replied. "To see Lara Croft in the flesh would be epic."

The other conversations were similar but one thing I was able to glean from snippets was that they were all executives and a few owned or were on the board of major film, comic, or entertainment companies. It was clear that Numenor was expanding and this was a pitch of sorts. We were moving to the next location when a single gunshot silenced the guide. The gunman aimed his weapon at the group and threatened them. I was about to change when one of the women urged her husband into action.

"Here's your chance! Go get him!" She snapped.

"Oh, of course," he said and suddenly a Green Lantern hovered in their midst. "Stand down evil doer!" He said unsure of himself. The gunman fired and the bullet struck his protective aura and dropped to the floor. "Ha! Take that!" He said and an emerald beam struck the gunman melting his weapon. Soon a band of ruffians and superheroes were exchanging blows, beams, and even spells. I was the only one that didn't change, this wasn't missed, and I was called out on it.

"Oh, I say, why didn't you join us in combat?" The heavily armored hero asked. I did my heroic transformation and many of them recognized my Ghost Fire persona. "Is it really you? They promised a meet and greet with actual players. Ah, I get it, you didn't want to spoil our fun. Well played young man, well played indeed."

"Are you really 'the' Booker," one of the ladies asked blushing noticeably. "I've seen some of your more playful footage."

"That is part of the game play," I stated, and she didn't appear put off one bit.

"Would you be willing to share some of your latest adventures?" Vincent the tour guide asked. "There is a scheduled event on the roof if you'd like to attend. I'm sure the others wouldn't mind."

They didn't. We all powered down and found we weren't the only group in the museum. Thirty or so others were already seated and being entertained by Lara Croft as she narrated one of her holographic adventures. Each table represented a different corporation or company. The only outlier was a single table with three nondescript men. Unlike everyone else their avatars were plain and wouldn't stand out in a crowd. Ironically that very blandness made them stick out. I left the group I was with. While they got settled, I stood off to the side observing the dynamic. The odd man out table was the sole group not interacting with Lara and the others. Why?

It didn't take me long to figure out what the trio had in common that the others didn't, their rings. Each of the men wore an identical signet ring save the letter was different. The design though was the same and were the same as the ring given to me by Kat. The jewels on mine were different as was the metal but the overall shape and form were indistinguishable. There seemed to be a discussion among them and one of them shrugged, stood, and approached me. He didn't introduce himself but offered me a seat at their table. I shook hands with them and the silence that followed was profound.

"Nick's heir at last," one of them stated with what could only be described as relief.

"Kat is his..." I said in her defense.

"Not that heir," another of them interrupted. "Nick and his father and their long line of ancestors were members of a brotherhood. A brotherhood that embraces your membership to this group. Welcome home Brother."

"I don't understand." I said when the man sitting to my right gently placed his hand on my wrist pinning my hand to top of the table. He used his other hand to touch the two stones on either side of the crest. The top of the ring flipped revealing the hidden crest. He let go of me and I brought the ring up close. The hidden crest was a triangle fashioned of three swords and within the All-Seeing Eye.

"Welcome to the Order, the Order of Chthon." The man on my left intoned with a deep tone of reverence.

"You will be contacted outside the game to explain the benefits and duties as a member." The man opposite me explained. "We'll meet again at the strip club."

They vanished as they logged out. What the hell just happened?! Order of Chthon? Was Nick part of something like the Masonic Lodge? A flashing icon in the upper right-hand corner of my vision told me that Surfer wanted a private conversation. I clicked on the icon and she created a solitary space for us to speak.

"I knew this time would come." Surfer stated. "Once the nanites accepted you it was like a ticking clock. They would eventually find out your biological relationship to Nick."

"Who are they?" I asked and she hesitated before answering.

"You have to understand what you've been dumped into. This is a life changing event Booker." She said and then reluctantly explained the nature and brief history of the Order of Chthon. "They have existed as long as human society has. They have ruled in the shadows for millennium. They are an unbroken bloodline of control and influence that no one has ever heard of thanks to the Hidden Master. He is one of the three key figures that oversee the direction of the order. The Eternal Master is the guiding light or pharaonic figure. The Grandmaster runs the day to day business. The Hidden Master keeps prying eyes away and maintains internal security as well."

"Whoa. So, I am taking over Nick's spot in this group whether I want to or not." I said feeling the weight of the burden.

"Yes." Surfer said. "There is more. Let me introduce Wraith. He is a custom A.I. that served as Nick's surrogate and is uniquely qualified to explain what I have withheld so far." A masked and robed avatar manifested and regarded me for a moment before bowing from the waist.

"I am your humble servant. Transferring control protocols to you Master." Wraith intoned with what sounded like the weight of the world being taken off his shoulders. "May I share with you as mere words cannot possibly suffice?"

"I... yes of course." I said and he walked within touching distance and placed the palm of his hand against my forehead.

"Transference commencing." He stated and the images and other sensory data hit my brain with surprising gentleness. It felt like forever for all the information to be passed onto me. When it ended, he stepped back, and the burden was squarely on my shoulders.

"I am the Hidden Master. Aw shit." I cursed and Wraith laughed. "Show me your face." Wraith removed the mask and Nick's smiling face greeted me. "Explain. This is going to take time for me to process all of this."

"Nick cloned his mind into my construct. I have his memories. I think like him. He created me so that I could appear as the Hidden Master so that he could attend meetings where both of us were due to appear. It would quickly be noticed that Nick wasn't there when the Hidden Master was. I will continue to act as your surrogate, but I will also fulfill any agenda you wish to initiate."

"Thanks. Like I said this is overwhelming and I need time." I said.

"I am thrilled to be of help." Wraith replied. "I will contact you as needed."

"Of course." I agreed and he vanished. "So, Nick isn't gone just dead."

"I suppose you could view it in that context," Surfer said watching me intently and apparently not seeing me react a certain way continued. "We are here for you."

"We?" I asked and I had a flash of a host of A.I.'s custom made by Nick during his most brilliant time. Each A.I. served a niche purpose and aided him when it came to the emotional development of artificial persons. I knew I was tapping into the download given to me by Wraith. I had an army at my disposal, and they were eager to share who they were and what they had been up to since Nick's physical death. "I'll get to all of you in time." I promised and that is exactly what they needed to hear. "Back to the game." I needed something normal to cling to. I joined the others and sucked up their adoration. Was it cheap, yes, but damn it felt good?

I threw myself into socializing just so I didn't have to think about the Chthon Trio as I thought about them. Lara stood close while I shared adventures that wouldn't have spoilers or were generic enough for the executives to get the idea of how the game functioned. I showed how skills and powers were set up and improved. You could see the excitement in their faces.

"Any questions?" I asked after my impromptu lecture.

"Is the sex really that good?" One of the ladies asked.

"I think you'll be pleasantly surprised." I replied.

"Excellent!" One of the men called out.

"For Lara, are you dancing at the club tonight?" One of the men asked.

"Absolutely, I'd hate to disappoint any fans." She purred with hands on her hips. "You have a platinum membership by the way," Lara whispered in my ear as the audience pondered other questions. "It gives you full benefits."

"Lucky me," I whispered back.

"Booker. Are you dancing at the club?" A woman asked and soon the others were leaning forward expectantly.

"I... I'll try." I replied and they whooped and hollered.

"I'll make it up to you," Lara purred in my ear. "Any other questions? If not, we can move to the limos and head over to the club."

I followed Lara. Her ass was amazing! We reached the limos in short order and I sat next to Lara much to the jealousy of the men with us. That is when Lara invoked her sensuality, control as well as teasing. She stood and walked to the middle of the extensive back seat. The moon roof slid open and a soft breeze blew her hair. She reached up and ran her fingers through her short brown mane.

"Perhaps you prefer longer hair to hold onto," Lara purred as she was suddenly sporting hair that hit mid back. "Not long enough." She moaned and with another gesture her hair was now down passed her ass cheeks. "Any leg men in the audience?" She asked and ran her hands down the sides of her legs. The tight jeans she was wearing were gone and now she had on a knee-high skirt. She turned and thrust her ass out. "Not short enough?" She crooned and eyes glazed over with lust as the skirt transformed to one that hit mid-thigh. Lara raised her arms, gripped the edge of the open moon roof, and pulled herself up and sat on the roof with her knees together. "What a view."

"You are telling me," one of the men growled with a wolfish grin. She had them eating out the palm of her hand. We arrived at the club and the driver came around and opened the door. Lara and the ladies left the limo first with the men close behind. I shouldn't have been surprised to see that the establishment was named Penumbra's Gentlemen's Club. It looked classy from the outside. Lara took my arm and we led the guests inside. The interior reminded me of the Old-World men's clubs like the Diogenes Club from the works of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. There was plenty of dark wood, brass fixtures, and comfy couches and chairs. The bars and stages were deeper in the building.

The servers greeted us with smiles and plenty of skin showing. The executives placed their orders while I picked out and named the servers by name.

"Harley Quinn, Tracer, Elastigirl, her I don't know," I said pointing to a busty brunette.

"Ah, in that case," Lara purred as she called the server over to our table. "Sara. I want you to meet a friend of mine." The sultry green eyed lovely sauntered over with a smile on her lips. "Sara Pezzini this is one of Numenor's best players, he goes by Ghost. Sara is the bearer of the Witchblade." Sara held up her right wrist where she wore an elegant jeweled bracelet. A heartbeat later her right arm was encased in organic steel and adorned with much larger jewels.

"Impressive." I said and she reverted the gauntlet back to its bracelet form.

"What can I get you?" Sara asked and she took our drink order and I watched the other servers work their tables. The male servers were equally popular. Wives and girlfriends settled together around tables of their own and the flavor of the evening was brewing and building. I got excited when new characters arrived and joined the tables. It wasn't just comic book heroes and villains but those from games, books, and film. Numenor was going all out selling their product to these folks. I won't lie a lot of these characters looked sexy as hell. Pity this was just a limited event.

"Friend Two Cocks!!" A voice called out as Starfire soared into the room and landed in my lap. Beast Girl was right behind her and dove under the table.

"Two cocks??" Lara intoned with a deep throated purr. "You just never know."

"Surprise," I said as Beast Girl popped up and sat next to me. "Speaking of surprises, where's the rest of the team?"

"Here," Raven announced. "Let me introduce those you haven't met yet. This is our team leader Nightwing." I raised my glass to the tall athletic brunette. "This is Cyborg apparently you two just missed each other."

"Was that you?" I asked and Cyborg's eyes narrowed. "Sit, drink, let's enjoy the show."

"We have to make the rounds, all of us," Nightwing snapped. "We'll be back."

"Farewell Friend Two Cocks," Starfire declared loud enough for everyone in the club to hear.

"Tell me... Friend Two Cocks... can you fit me in later?" Lara moaned.

"It could be a tight fit," I shot back.

"I sure hope so." She agreed. "Ooh, it looks like Cap has found a new friend." Lara said inclining her head at one of the women's tables. Captain America was clad in only a pair of biker's shorts and a smile. One of the ladies was tucking a tip down the front of his shorts.

"I feel like this is going to be an interesting evening." I suggested.

I was well into my second drink when the DJ came on and introduced the first performer. Since this was a mixed crowd I wondered if he was going to alternate or would they have more than one stage active at a time. Lara was called up to the center stage and the men rushed it while I went to the bar for another drink. The female bartender wasn't there but no fear a familiar mechanical figure dropped down from the ceiling.

"Would you like some cake?" GLaDOS asked in her snarky mechanized voice. She reminded me of a mix of HAL from 2001 a Space Odyssey and one of the robots you find at a car assembly plant. The articulated head and body swung about to face me.

"No, I would like a beer." I replied waiting for a biting comment or condescending remark about my hair or something.

"Are you sure, you are getting a little thick around the middle." She fired back as her robotic arms poured a perfect glass of Guinness.

"Spaaaaaaaaaaaaaace!!" A spherical robot zipped by my head as it orbited the club twice before vanishing.

The thundering pulse of dance music filled the air as a newly costumed Lara Croft took the stage. She was clad in a black mesh body stocking and felt my jaw drop. GLaDOS reached out and touched my jaw.

"She's okay I suppose," the A.I. chided my reaction to Lara. Lara attacked the pole like it was a long-lost love and the male crowd ate it up. I did too, I won't lie. Soon she was hanging inverted with her thighs wrapped around the pole. Gravity tugged her breasts down and I found myself chewing my lower lip. "You are next hero." GLaDOS informed me.

"Aw hell," I cursed. "I'll go pick out a costume." I muttered as I walked by one of the tables with the eager crowd of women. "I'm up next."

"Sweet! Yeah! Fucking A!!" They cheered as I hit the dressing room. It wasn't what you'd expect. There were showers and a toilet but instead of individual rooms there were four full length mirrors, two on either wall. I touched the surface of the nearest one and my image was displayed on it.

"Suggestions." I uttered the command. A series of ridiculous costumes flashed slowly which reminded me of one of my neighbor's sisters and her impressive doll collection. I settled on a mockup of the DC character Doctor Fate. The robes were held together by Velcro and the helmet was in fact a two-way material that didn't hinder my vision at all. I even added an Ankh tattoo over my junk to entice the ladies. "Membership levels. Women with a silver aura can touch nonpriority areas. Women with gold auras can rub anywhere but not grope priority areas. Red auras can do whatever you are comfortable with including oral if you wish." The mirror explained. "Update... all the female guests have upgraded to red level memberships. Good luck cowboy."

"Thanks," I said and turned as Elastigirl walked into the room. "Damn girl, you are looking hot!"

"You say that to all the MILF's." She replied. "Lara is on her second song the ladies are going to eat you alive. They got you on stage two, the runway. Knock 'em dead."

"I'll do my best." I said feeling nervous at not only being on display but having husbands and boyfriends watching me as well. One of these folks was a Nexus 8 replicant that could shape shift. How the hell was I going to find her?" I wondered if they smelled differently. Only one way to find out. I moved behind Elastimilf, slid my arms around her waist, and took in her scent. "You smell incredible!"