Tower of Babylon Pt. 04

The saddles must have some kind of feedback connection, Matt guessed. Perhaps electro-shock, or pinprick actuators. Now, he could see how the thin semi-clear connection lines attached to different points on their bodies, including breasts, inner thighs, and under their ribcages. They wore goggles that Matt now realized might be blinders or just information displays. He would learn later that there was more than one mode of play, ranging from full manual to semi-autonomous where the rider was allowed some freedom to act at will.

"Have you seen anything like this?" He asked Okano.

She shook her head. "No, this wasn't around when I lived in the Protectorate. It may also be an exclusive to this estate. It's something only the biggest houses could afford to do. Only the military usually fields that kind of hardware in any quantity."

"Don't worry. No one gets hurt...usually," Weaver interjected. "The servo limbs have been tuned down, limiters added. Rules are to make the opponent lose mobility, concede, or to push them entirely out of the combat circle. They are still inbound as long as even a finger touches the outer ring stripe. Plus the drivers are protected by the best molecular anti-shock fluid, combat grade kinetic dampening."

Matt observed with a bit of trepidation. A part of him was intrigued although he tried to hide it. Currently, Weaver was entertaining a bout with his friend, Hitch, who was controlling a spiderlike machine operated by a pale beauty, blue locks floating inside the fluid like a halo. Her mech had a prehensile stinger that appeared to be its primary offensive weapon, using some kind of electro-magnetic pulse to short out an opponent's servos.

As soon as the countdown ticked over, Hitch drove his operator to an immediate attack. The machine leapt across the ring at the gorilla mech which barely managed to avoid a body slam or the wild stinger. The riders bobbed inside their control bubbles, wildly gesticulating in response to the control triggers sent by their masters.

Weaver played with a laconic smirk on his face while his mate seemed vividly focused. Hitch cursed when the gorilla managed to hobble a leg. The blonde operator didn't give any quarter, immediately pressing her advantage, soon ripping the appendage sheer of at one of the joints. Sparks flew and Hitch had to concede the match when the unit's stinger was also taken out of action and his mech was essentially defenseless. This all happened in less than five minutes.

Weaver barely changed expression although he was clearly pleased with himself. He announced, "As a victor, it is customary to give a prize to the valiant rider." He pressed a button on the console.

Immediately, the blonde arched her back, eyes nearly rolling into her skull. She ground her hips onto her "seat" clearly maximizing the stimulus being sent through there. She had full body spasms several times until it appeared she was totally spent.

Worker mechs dragged away the defeated unit, the blue haired rider's head down in defeat.

Matt wasn't really surprised when Weaver turned back to him, grinning, "So, what about a friendly wager for one vs. one? You came all this way, so you should participate."

If Okano hadn't been at his side, he would have immediately declined.

"What did you have in mind?" he responded, reluctantly.

"We each bet a rider. Winner gets the rider."

Matt paled, turning his head to Okano, "Her?"

Weaver shook his head, "No, the scrappy one. I could use a seat warmer for my cruiser."

Bee had only been paying half-attention, but she immediately sat up from the massage chair, heart beating.

"This hardly seems equitable. I'd be at a severe disadvantage. She's also not for sale." Matt began to sweat. He knew that turning this down could have severe ramifications for the negotiations, even if the meeting was just a formality. These types took loss of face seriously. It had probably been a set up from the beginning.

"Of course, that is a consideration. Instead of Ayla, I will substitute an equivalent rider with no experience. To further make it a handicap, I will use the basic model without upgraded servos. As for rights, your girl has none in the Protectorate except for what was extended through your visa, which can be revoked at any time. Your foreign rules do not apply here."

Matt kept trying despite knowing it was a lost cause, "She's not even that good of a warmer. I mean, look at her, she's scrawny."

Bee felt a bit angry at that for some reason though she knew he was trying to save her. She hopped up, "It didn't look that hard to me. I can do it! Besides, even if I miss you guys, I'd be living it up in paradise instead of slopping for chickpeas in the Enclave." The quiver in her voice belied her bravado.

"How insolent, but admirable," Weaver noted. "I will tender quite a prize to sweeten the deal. Would you be surprised that she was a former free citizen by descent? Do you realize how rare that is?" He snapped a finger.

Another honey blonde gingerly stepped into view in Weaver's box. She had to hobble because her arms were chained behind her back and connected to ankle bracelets that limited her movement. It was the woman from the arboretum, Matt realized. She was slick with sweat from the stimulation of the plugs inserted into her anus and pussy.

When their gaze met, she winked.

Bee was taken down to a prep room somewhere in the bowels of the coliseum. The pit of her stomach felt weak but she girded herself during the elevator ride down. The attendants were nearly androgynous women, worm pink and practically hairless like mannequins freshly dipped in polymer resin, who were clearly practiced in the arcane equipment. The head attendant motioned towards one of the specialized seats but she wasn't directed to sit on it right away. The woman had piercing blue eyes that caught Bee's attention as she spoke. Her voice was soothing.

"You and your commander will be given an hour or two to practice with this saddle. Functionally, it will be the same as the real one except without the kinetic dampening fluid and umbilical. Please, stand here for appliance sizing and application. Let me know if there is any discomfort."

Bee stood, shivering a bit with anxiety, as the workers fussed over her body, attaching electrodes to various spots of her torso. There were additional items that had not been obvious from a distance. She was given a mouth bit that also served as a tongue controller for communication since she would not be able to speak in the shock fluid.

"Tap on each contact point for acknowledgement, a successful send will buzz your tongue," the attendant instructed. "Your induction monitors will allow for emergency verbal talk back but by rule, all commands must be by the electrode stimulation. It's very simple, really. You should get the hang of it in a few minutes."

The various electrodes connected via clear filaments to a small, nearly transparent, appliance that resembled a woman's sanitary pad and applied in a similar manner. Considering the way the filaments were handled, they appeared to be nearly indestructible and wouldn't be torn off or kinked by extreme motion.

"It may be a little uncomfortable upon first application, but the interface has its own analgesic injector to make it easier for the catheter to home."

Bee didn't like the sound of that, objecting, "That sounds like a needle—ouch!" She yelped as the clammy thing was stuck onto her nether region. It stung for moment as it adjusted itself but the numbing agent worked quickly so she settled down though from the feeling of fullness it was clear that it had filled the cavities of both her vagina and colon. It wasn't something totally unique in her experience, but the fresh humiliation still reddened her cheeks.

"It will self-calibrate, please look at the screen in front of you and tap the appropriate response on your bit."

Bee had used stimulators before but nothing had prepared her for how strong, and intrusive, this thing was. She tapped hard when she felt she was about to jump out of the thing. Her knees felt like jelly afterwards. It kept it up until it was satisfied it had localized her g-spot, as well as any pain centers. She didn't want to know what the punishment setting was for the damn thing, but she got a hint as to why that rider had reacted the way she had. It seemed like it knew how to fire pleasure straight to her brain.

The same went for the other electrodes as they calibrated in turn.

"The command settings have been simplified. An advanced setup allows the commander to give very detailed control commands with only the slightest stimulus. All right, calibration is successful. Please step to your saddle." The attendants helped her shuffle over to the contraption. It lowered itself down so she could straddle it without too much effort.

Bee felt flushed, it must inject some kind of calming agent as well. She felt almost at ease as they settled her into the saddle. Like the rest of the equipment, it was almost transparent, even organic. Slightly narrower and lower than an actual horse saddle, it would serve as the attachment point of the rider to her mech unit. Her feet slipped into the stirrups which automatically fitted themselves. Her legs were clasped to its sides so she wouldn't be flung off, although there was a "horn" attachment that could be gripped for extra purchase. The whole thing seemed elastic and seemed to intelligently shape itself to fit her body.

"If you need to relieve yourself, just let it go. The saddle has connections for waste though the readout says you're good for now."

Bee was glad she'd gone earlier. From experience, she knew to keep things clear for such exigencies. Even in the Enclave, one didn't know when some surprise anal wasn't on the menu.

A screen was suspended in front of her displaying a virtual mech unit, a colorful humanoid cartoon-like model with two floppy feet and big robot arms with paddle shaped hands. In the central sphere, there was a generic person graphic that represented the rider.

"Next, we will practice your manual control interface. If you've played VR games, the movements will be similar. Use your feet to control movement."

Bee moved her arms and the simulated model matched her movements with no perceptible lag. She learned quickly how to "walk" by feigning stepping motions with her feet. Direction could be controlled in the same way but it was apparent the whole thing was dumbed down, consequently, the model didn't move with the same dexterity as the actual combat units had in the arena. Apparently, finer control could be had with twitching of the thigh muscles and other esoteric parts of the body, up to and including her rectal and Kegel muscles. The electrodes picked up just about every twitch and Bee could imagine a professional rider being able to finely control even the multi-armed beasts with a precision she could barely comprehend.

She was allowed a few minutes until she got the basics done and could move around without being totally helpless, but not by much. There was an assist mode that smoothed out most of her flailing at least.

The blue eyed attendant seemed satisfied, "I think you are ready for command input. Watch your screen and respond with your mouth bit as needed."

Matt appeared on the monitor, Okano hovering behind him in the control booth. He spoke, "They had me practice on a sim unit while you were getting ready. It's still a bit odd, but ready to try it out?"

She tapped on the acknowledge buzzer.

He nodded, "Okay. How are you doing? Everything go fine?"

She rolled her eyes and tapped the same spot again with her tongue. At this point, she just wanted to get all this over with.

"Let's just try forward walk first," he muttered, lip pursed in concentration. Bee yelped when something stung the small of her back. The saddle picked up her instinctual response and the virtual mech bolted forward.

"Oh sorry, I thought this was tuned," he apologized. Bee's grunt of annoyance was once again replaced by another yelp as he hit something that caused the g-spot probe to give her a zap. She nearly pissed herself and tapped the negative buzzer on her mouth bit repeatedly.

Okano reached over and pressed something, causing Bee to relax suddenly. She drooped on the saddle which reacted by clamping down on her thighs and butt so she didn't slide off.

Matt wiped his brow, "Sorry about that. Let's try again."

After an hour and a half, somehow they managed to get the hang of it. As promised, the commands were fairly simple although annoying. The electrodes provided shocks of varying intensity which directed movement. During live play, Matt would not be allowed direct communication (and the shock fluid would also be an impediment) so for the last half-hour they practiced with the camera turned off.

If this was the dumbed down mode, Bee wondered what the pro riders endured.

The shocks were set to a min-max range as to be tolerable but it was clear to her that the max setting could be much higher and she really didn't want to find that out though the reward stimulus was something she'd imagined certain people would actually pay for back in the Enclave. She was still a bit high, and flushed, from the last one. It didn't take much to see it could become addictive. She shuddered.

Bee was told to remain on the saddle, it would be wheeled over to the loading bay. The entire floor piece was lifted up on a hydraulic jack that rolled through the hallway down to another large room. Bee could see rows and rows of mech bays that almost gave her vertigo. Just how many machines did they have?

There was a bustle of activity, both human and machine, as techs poured over the bays repairing or replacing parts of the various mechs that had returned from the arena with battle damage. They were too busy in their work to pay notice to the small group pulling Bee's saddle to the proper bay. It was near the end of the row and much quieter. Several of the mechs were covered in tarps and apparently mothballed. One was being serviced and apparently the one she would ride. She was curious to get a closer look at the thing. Even this smaller machine was over fifteen feet tall but quite simple in design. The central sphere had a backpack unit that supplied power and life support. It had attachment points around the sphere and currently it only had two arms and two legs.

"The crew pod is a universal model. It's the attachments that make each mech unique although there are different generations of crew pods. There are full sleeve versions that enclose the pods entirely but these are for show and entertainment," the attendant explained. She slipped a pair of eyepieces that resembled swimmers goggles onto Bee's face. "The kinetic dampener fluid is transparent but will still affect the refractive index of your cornea. It's designed to adjust for that but if there are any problems, full eye replacement is on the house."

Bee was too overwhelmed to be alarmed as she tried to remain calm. The attendant clucked, "Sorry to burst this one on you but some first timers tend to be squeamish, but there is one last step. The umbilical. You can't breath the fluid so oxygen exchange has to bypass the lungs. Don't worry, you will be sedated for this part. The stuff has to fill the lungs too, believe me you don't want to keep air in those."

Suddenly, Bee felt loose again and detached from her surroundings but still aware of what was happening. The umbilical, as promised, was a hose that attached to the navel. It automatically probed, looking for the correct blood vessels. She thought it could be worse and use her ass, so there was that bright side. She grimaced.

There were other attachments that went on her wrists, inner thighs, and her neck. She didn't notice any sharp pain as they penetrated her skin.

"This will take a few minutes for the system to confirm your vitals. The extra connections are backups in case the main umbilical is damaged. Did you know it can even do a full blood transfusion? It's advanced combat tech that can clear any toxin and even supply intravenous nutrition and dialysis if needed though for the short arena engagements, it's not really necessary. You'll be on your own when sealed into the pod, so remember when the kinetic fluid reaches your head to take a deep breath until you hear the confirmation tone on your inductive audio monitor. Make sure to clear your sinuses. Don't worry, it's effectively isotonic and biogenic neutral. Good luck!" The attendant said cheerfully.

The pod was lowered from its cradle so Bee could be fitted inside. The sphere had an opening on its bottom like a glass bead and the base of the saddle sealed the bottom of the sphere. Once it was lifted back up and attached to the backpack frame, there were different tones and announcements that were incomprehensible to Bee but seemed to be positive. Soon, she felt the fluid filling the capsule. It was at body temperature so not uncomfortable. After a minute, it began passing her neck, covering her mouth, and finally her head. A sharp tone reminded her to breath. Normally, she would have panicked, but she gulped down the shock fluid, accidentally ingesting some in the process.

They hadn't told her what happened with the air in her gut but she didn't really have a chance to think about it as she focused on equalizing the pressure in her sinuses. She wondered if the oily sensation was real or just her imagination. The stuff seemed to invade every pore and opening of her body, even sliding down her throat as it displaced all the air in its path. The last bit of air bubbled out of her nostrils and around her lips. If she was outgassing out of her butt, she couldn't tell.

It didn't really feel that bad although the sedative had a lot to do with her calmness. She still felt quite lucid despite the detachment. Tones indicated the equalization was successful and something suppressed her urge to breath. She looked down and saw that her chest was not rising or falling. In some ages, she would be considered dead, she thought abstractly.

She turned her head to look around. They hadn't bound back her hair, so it waved about and partially blocked her view. This seemed to be part of the show as all the other drivers seemed to have the same issue although some had shorter hair which made it a bit easier. The whole affair was not intended to be really practical.

Tones directed her to follow instructions that displayed on her goggles. She gingerly stepped out of the bay. Just like the simulation, the mech responded nimbly to her control inputs. It was actually somewhat amusing as the attendants dodged her sudden movements, clearing the way to the ramp to the coliseum.

Somehow, she managed to get outside without smashing into anything although she suspected that was the mech itself compensating automatically. Bee felt anticipation rising in her as she bounded up to the arena pad, following the waypoint marker in her visual display.

The mech made her feel strong and capable. This was great! She hopped back and forth, mimicking the gorilla mech's movements from earlier in the day.

Across the arena she saw the other mech square up and made out the tall blond they had fucked the other day. She had to admit, the woman was a stunner all right. Well, Bee was going to kick that pretty ass of hers as hard as she'd slapped it. As soon as Matt gave her the go jolt, she leapt for the attack.

A few moments later she was flat on her back, staring upwards as different warning tones stung her ears and tiny shocks hit her body at multiple points. If it wasn't for the saddle gripping her legs, she would have been floating free inside of the bubble. Bee looked around and saw that she was well outside of the marked arena boundary. She'd lost in less than thirty seconds. If she could cry, she would have.