Safe from Harm Ch. 3

In the lift they argued about where to go to eat. Caroline was partial to a little Italian place around the corner; Paul was more inclined to some Chinese food. They were still debating while leaving the building, and were rudely interrupted by a voice coming from a car parked at the roadside. "Caroline? Paul?" Turning in unison, they both saw the man sitting at the drivers seat at the same time. He looked very familiar. "David? What the hell are you doing here?" They had spoken at the same time, causing David to look at them quizzically. "Do you guys have a psychic bond or something? Don't tell me your related?" Caroline spoke first. "Of course not!" she replied irritably. "And don't change the subject!" David held up his hand in surrender. "Alright, alright, calm down a bit. I supposed your both wondering why I'm here?" Caroline nodded angrily, Paul just shrugged. "Well why don't you get into the car first, and I'll drive on the way?" "Why should be trust you?" said Caroline, confused by his request. "Well, I'm not crazy for a start, and I know a way you could earn a hell of a lot more than what you're making now."

Caroline turned to Paul and whispered to him, "Is this guy nuts or what?" "Actually I think we should go...." Paul replied. "What?" Caroline's voice rose slightly. "Look at it. He drives a nice car, he's offering us a chance to earn a lot of money, and he's taken the effort to come all the way here to ask us. Least we can do is listen, right?" Caroline was still doubtful, but like Paul said, they had nothing to lose. Why not? She turned back to David. "Ok let's go then. But don't try any funny stuff!" "Don't worry Caroline," David smiled.

They drove in silence for around half an hour. Every time Caroline tried to ask David something, he would just tell her that all would be revealed when they go to their destination. So she just sat and stared out of the window.

Eventually the car pulled into an office car park somewhere in Camden town. They rode the lift again in silence up to the third floor. When the door opened a reception greeted them; a bored looking blonde surrounded by a wooden desk that nearly concealed her to the casual visitor. Ahead of them, a fogged glass door prevented any further exploration. David nodded to the receptionist and she buzzed them in.

Once inside, they were greeted by three corridors, all identical. David led them down one way, past wood panelled walls interspersed with more rooms protected by glass doors; Caroline noticed that each one was electronically locked, and also had a normal lock for backup. But before she could press the question to David, he had opened a door and beckoned them inside.

They were in a very large room. Computers lined the walls, but what really caught Caroline's attention were the large dentist style chairs in the middle of the room. Above each was an extendable helmet with a mass of wires protruding at seemingly random intervals. "What the hell..." The words were out before Caroline could help it.

"Welcome to our research centre." The voice came from behind them. Before they could turn around, a woman had walked past them and stood next to David. "It's not as bad as it looks." said Helen.

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"Ok, I'm really confused now." said Caroline, looking around in part confusion, part amazement. "What the hell is going on here? What research?" David motioned towards a small table in the corner. "Why don't we take a seat, and we'll explain."

"Now, as you know, our names are David and Helen. We're not married, although we like to play around every now and then, and we've been looking for two very capable X-tors to help us in our new project. We've been going from company to company, testing all their best X-tors, but none have been as good as you two have. Thus we decided to bring you two here for a test."

"For what?" asked Paul. "You still haven't explained what this is all about."

Helen took over. "Well, you two are X-tors. What's the fundamental problem of X-suits?"

Paul and Caroline looked at each other. Caroline just shrugged, fed up with all the time wasting, so Paul answered, "That they cannot simulate taste nor smell; only touch. Which means they cannot be fully realistic."

"Right! Let's look at the statistics. One house in every ten in the world owns an X-suit of some sort, and the top shows have a viewer rating of over 50 million worldwide. So what does that tell you?"

"That people aren't really bothered about the realism?"

"Nope. It was estimated that in the US in the late 90's, nearly every third house owned a gaming console of some sort, and one in five had internet access. The ratio in Japan was even lower. So what does that tell you?"

No answer. Caroline and Paul couldn't see where this was going.

"I'll tell you. That means that the X-suit is well behind gaming consoles. Think about it; the X-suit is meant to be an extension of the gaming experience, adding new realism to what was becoming a very boring diversion. But the X-suit changes everything by allowing the player to almost be in the game itself. You can hit someone, they can hit you, and so forth. However, the X-suit is only in one of ten households around the world. What is that telling us?

That the X-suit isn't realistic enough. If it were that realistic, then at least one in every third house would own an X-suit. Even people who didn't like games traditionally could easily by convinced if they found themselves fully immersed in a virtual world. So even though the X-suit has become established worldwide, people within Microsoft have found these statistics to be very unsatisfactory.

Thus people like myself and David have been commissioned to develop the next stage of the X-suit; a fully virtual world where you can smell the virtual aftershave while you rub it on, or taste the virtual pork chop when you roll it around your mouth.

So why do you think you are here now?"

Paul answered before Caroline could. "You've done it haven't you? And who better to test it than X-tors? People who work with the suit day in and day out, and know exactly how it feels and all it's different attributes."

David and Helen both smiled, "Exactly! We think we're very close now to making it commercially viable. But we still have to test it with some of the best. Are you two willing to try?"

"Yes!" They answered in unison.

A couple of minutes later, they were both relaxed on the dentist's chairs. David and Helen were busy attaching the wires to their arms and chest. "What are these for?" Caroline asked. "So that we can keep track of your vital functions during the test." "What exactly is going to happen?" said Paul. "You still haven't explained what you're going to do to us."

David started speaking. "Well when we were developing the system, we spent a long time working out ways to simulate smell and touch, but we were totally unsuccessful. The problem is that every person reacts to these things differently. Some like the taste of salt and some don't. Some like the smell of coffee, and some don't. We had reached a bit of a dead end when a new idea began forming.

What if, instead of trying to simulate these impulses, if we generated them directly? Instead of actually having to create them, we could actually appeal to the brain itself, and tell it that a pork chop is on the tongue at this exact moment in time, or that a horse has just crapped in front and it really stinks.

The only way we could do that successfully is with nanobots."

"Nanobots?" Caroline became a bit worried by the suggestion. "How?"

"Well, we have developed a very specific type of nanobot. It attaches itself to the neurons leading the brain, and sends different types of signals to the brain, depending on what we want to simulate. The brain is almost tricked into seeing something different. Although your conscious mind always knows that it's a simulation, the rest of your brain believes what the nanobots tell them."

"Are the nanobots dangerous?"

"Of course not. They're specifically designed for one purpose only, and they're so small they're incapable of anything else. Totally harmless."

Caroline didn't find this very reassuring, but she really wanted to see what it would be like. After a couple of moments struggle in her brain, she relaxed. "Alright. Let's do it!"

David produced two sheets of paper from nowhere and gave one to each X-tor. "This is a compensation contract for the both of you. In the case of any problems our corporation will provide full compensation and cover any necessary costs. If you are willing to carry on as testers after this then we will provide you with employee contracts." The contracts were basic legal documents, and the X-tors both signed without a second thought.

Helen opened a small cabinet next to the chair which Caroline hadn't noticed before. She removed two small syringes, both filled with a clear, viscous liquid. Turning to the two X-tors she showed them the syringes and said, "Now I'm going to inject you with the nanobots. Then they will spread through your system and attach themselves to the neurons leading to your brain. From then on we will send a transmission to the nanobots, and they will send the according signals to create the simulation we want."

Caroline winced as the needle penetrated her skin. As the liquid was pushed into her veins she could feel a slight twitching under her skin; maybe it was her imagination but she could almost feel the nanobots making their way to her brain.

Helen and David moved across to the room to two computer terminals. They began typing in commands. "We're now setting up the transmission while the nanobots settle in your system," said Helen, fingers flying over the keyboard as she programmed in the planned simulation. "Now close your eyes." Caroline was buzzing in anticipation as she closed her eyes and prepared for what would possibly be one of the greatest moments of her life.

And nothing happened.

"Damn!" She could hear David from across the room furiously hitting away at the keyboards. "Shit!"

Opening her eyes, she called out, "What's going on?" Helen turned and replied, "Well, it looks like the nanobots are going to need some reconfiguration before we can get this sorted out." "How long is that going to take?" Caroline was feeling deflated with disappointment. "A couple of days maybe? I can't really say at this moment because of the amount of factors we have to deal with when reprogramming the nanobots." "A couple of days!" Caroline just wanted to go home. "Look can we do this tomorrow then? I'm really tired and I just feel like sleeping."

"Shouldn't be a problem." Helen turned to Paul, "What about you?" Paul looked at Caroline for a moment, and she could see determination in his eyes. "I'll stay for now," he replied. "I really want to have a go at this and be a part of it." "Good!" Helen picked up the phone and pressed a couple of buttons. "Amy?" she spoke into the receiver, "Can you arrange a taxi to take Caroline home? Thanks."

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The company paid for the taxi. When Caroline arrived home she still couldn't shake off the feeling of intense disappointment of the whole episode. The chance to be part of a virtual revolution was the first thing in a long time that had made her really excited; she felt like she was someone really important in the grand scheme of things. She wouldn't have to spend the rest of her life acting like a prissy schoolgirl or a horny secretary!

With a sigh she stepped into her bathroom and started undressing. Even though she had showered after work she felt like she needed another one, just to relax her and make her feel better. Closing the shower door, she said, "On," and the warm water rushed over her. She closed her eyes, and let it rinse her troubles away.

"Hello Caroline."

Her eyes shot open in shock. David! Turning towards the shower door she could see the outline of his figure standing in her bathroom.

"You fucking psycho! What the hell are you doing in my house!" She screamed, trying to seem angry, but scared as hell at the same time.

"This isn't your house Caroline."

"What the fuck are you talking about?"

"Don't you get it Caroline?"

"Look just get out of my house you freak!"

"I'm not in your house Caroline. This isn't your bathroom. That isn't real water coming out of your showerhead."

Then it dawned on her.

"This is the simulation?"

"Yes! This is the power of our new technology Caroline."

She looked around. She could see the fine spray of water as it rebounded off her body. Her face felt smooth and warm as she rubbed her cheeks.

"Oh my god...."

"Hello Caroline."

She turned to see Helen standing behind her suddenly. Helen was also naked, water dripping off her body as the shower filled the air.

"Let's see how real it feels." Helen wrapped her arms around Caroline and pressed her lips against Caroline's. Caroline could feel the softness of her skin, Helen's breasts rubbing against hers, nipples already erect as their tongues pushed back and forth.

Helen pulled away from her and smiled sexily. "Taste me," she said, taking Caroline's hand and moving it to her crotch.

Caroline kneeled down straight away and Helen spread her legs in preparation. She ran her fingers along Helen's vulva, feeling the warmth of Helen's arousal emanating from inside of her. Positioning herself below Helen, Caroline gently massaged her clitoris before running her tongue along her labia. Caroline could taste the bittersweet flavour of Helen's cum as she pushed her tongue in-between the folds of her velvet lips. She could hear Helen moaning, and David passing comments of approval as she explored Helen with her tongue, intoxicated with the taste of Helen's pussy.

Caroline used her hand to massage her own clit while her tongue pushed and probed at Helen’s. “Ooh, that’s it, yes, more please…” moaned Helen, “How does it taste Caroline?”

Before Caroline could reply she felt something familiar against her tongue. Stopping for a moment, she looked up to see Paul standing behind Helen, his erect cock running against her lips. Helen leaned forward and Caroline heard David’s voice, “Fuck her Paul.”

Helen cried out as Paul’s cock pushed between her lips to penetrate the folds of her pussy. Before long they had built up a rhythm, Paul’s cock repeatedly stroking into Helen’s soft wetness while Caroline continued with her tongue. She ran her tongue from Helen’s clit to Paul’s balls, tasting a Helen’s cum on him every time his cock slid out.

“I’m cumming!” Helen cried out as her orgasm overtook her body, her legs shaking as her pussy contracted around Paul’s cock, floods of her cum dripping out of her with every stroke. Caroline’s own orgasm followed, and she writhed on the floor of her shower, feeling her body shake and tense as waves of ecstasy overwhelmed her. She opened her eyes to see Paul’s ball contracting, and she heard him groan, “I’m gonna cum!”

Quickly Caroline pulled his cock from Helen’s pussy and stroked him furiously as his cock exploded, shooting ropes of cum partly onto Helen’s swollen lips and partly onto Caroline’s face. Caroline opened her mouth as another load shot from the head of his cock and landed across her face, tasting the saltiness of his cum. Finally his cock subsided, so she pulled Helen’s cum covered pussy to her face and proceeded to clean it with her tongue, the bitterness of Helen’s cum contrasting with the salty taste of Paul’s.

She heard David clapping. “Excellent! First test successful!”