Virtual Life Experience Pt. 03

"Let's head for the river," suggested Jason. We can try our luck hunting the herds on the way, but if that doesn't work out we'll try fishing."

The grazing herds appeared to be made up mostly of two species. The larger ones, Jason dubbed "walking tanks" as they were heavily armored. They were about 3 ton beasts with three pairs of short, stout, splayed legs. They were entirely covered with hand-sized thick scales.

The other species were much more lightly built bipedal creatures in a mottled grassy green color. They looked vaguely ostrich-like, though they had no feathers and larger heads with big swiveling ears. These "green runners" were skittish and would frequently bolt at the slightest provocation and run a short distance before settling down again.

It quickly became clear that getting in laser pistol range would be difficult with the green runners, as they scattered well before Jason and Nikki got to that point.

"Should we try to take down one of the big guys?" asked Nikki.

"At least we can probably get in range with them," agreed Jason. "With that armor, we are going to need to get within at least 50 yards to have any effect."

When they reached about 150 yards away, the walking tanks continued to graze placidly, but they gradually shifted so that all of them were facing Jason and Nikki. At 100 yards out, they drifted toward each other until all of the herd members were just a few feet apart. At 75 yards, one of the beasts roared and as one, the scales raised on their bodies, making them look much larger and more formidable. They stood, snorting and obviously agitated.

Nikki looked nervously at Jason. "I'm not so sure this is a good idea. If they all charge at us at once, we're fucked. We'll be flattened."

Jason agreed and they backed off to reconsider their options. They looked at each other and simultaneously said, "fishing."

They reached the river by mid-day. By this time they were ravenous. Thankfully, it only took a few minutes to catch the first two small water creatures. They decided to eat them right away, before they tried to catch any more.

The next problem was making a sustained fire to cook their meal. Like in the forest before they discovered the oil plants, the problem was not making fire, it was finding a fuel that wouldn't burn up in seconds, as the dry grass did. After struggling in vain for half an hour, Nikki had an idea.

"Wait here," she said to Jason, and walked away from the river about 200 yards and began looking around at the ground. Jason was mystified as she bent down to pick something up. She came back with an armload of flat, irregularly shaped objects. "Tank patties," she said.

It took a moment before he understood what she meant. She had brought back blobs of dried manure from the armored beasts.

"No . . . fuck no. That's gross. I'm not eating fish cooked over dried shit."

"Oh, don't be a wimp. It doesn't even smell." She tossed a piece at him. She was right. Once they had been bleached by the sun for a few days, the patties were dry and odorless. They just looked like tightly compressed, dried vegetation. He reluctantly agreed to give it a try as fuel for their fire.

The patties burned fairly well and were sufficient to cook their "fish".

The small creatures were not enough to make a meal, and Jason and Nikki returned to the river to fish some more. Nothing was biting. An hour later, they still had not caught anything more. Jason looked down into the murky water. It was impossible to see the bottom. He thought he saw a motion below the surface. He bent down and peered into the water.

"Oh fuck!" Just as he realized he was in danger, the surface of the water exploded like shards of glass and a long, narrow crocodilian head on the end of a snakelike neck shot out and grabbed his leg. Sharp pain shot through him and blood gushed from around the creature's mouth as its teeth sunk deep into his leg. Jason fought to avoid being dragged into the water, grabbing some roots protruding from the riverbank. He could feel the flesh in his calf tearing as the monster tugged.

Nikki reacted quickly, swinging her laser sword and delivering a mortal blow just behind the creature's head. It took several hacks to separate its head from its body. Unfortunately, the 50 lb. head remained locked onto Jason's leg. It took a few more moments for Nikki to carve off the lower jaw to free Jason's leg. The deep, ragged puncture wounds on either side of Jason's calf were bleeding profusely.

"Give me your shirt," Nikki requested. Jason peeled it off and Nikki bound his lower leg tightly with it in an attempt to stop the bleeding. Nikki helped Jason up. He put his arm over her shoulder and, leaning heavily on her, he hobbled to the shade of a small grove of broad leafed plants about 40 yards away. If he touched the foot of his wounded leg to the ground, searing pain resulted, making him dizzy. The two of them rested for a few minutes in the shade while they took stock in their situation.

"We should take advantage of that meat while it's there," said Jason.

"You stay here and keep that leg elevated, I'll get some."

Nikki gathered some more fuel for a fire, then carved off a slab of the creature's neck.

Just as she cut a piece free and turned to head back, Jason called out to her, "We've got company." He pointed skyward. Several winged shapes soared high above, circling.

They considered moving further from the carcass by the river, knowing that it was already attracting potentially dangerous scavengers, but decided against moving Jason until the bleeding stopped. By the time Nikki had built a fire and started cooking the meat, the first antoladactyl had landed.

The great winged beast grabbed the carcass by the neck and dragged it out of the river onto the bank. It turned and fixed its red-eyed gaze at Jason and Nikki and screeched. It cautiously advanced on them hissing and baring its teeth. Jason and Nikki aimed their laser pistols at it and waited. When a second antoladactyl landed, the first one turned away from the humans to defend its prize. They squabbled a bit, then both settled down to feeding from opposite ends of the carcass. As two more winged monsters landed, the bickering over feeding spots became more intense and Jason and Nikki were mostly forgotten.

Eventually, the feeding slowed and the antoladactyls began to settle down to sleep off their meals. The largest one advanced on the two humans again.

"We are in a prime resting spot in the shade here. I think we need to move," said Jason. "We could fight off one of these guys and even kill it if necessary, but I don't know how the others would react. If they all turned on us we would be screwed."

"Are you sure? I mean, to be honest, you don't look so good. You look really pale and you've lost a lot of blood." Nikki looked at Jason with concern in her eyes.

"I'll be OK. I think the bleeding has stopped. Just help me up."

Jason was actually more concerned than he let on. The shirt bandaging his leg was completely soaked in blood, though it had finally stopped dripping. Despite the warmth of the day, he felt cold. When Nikki helped him up, his vision faded almost to black, but then recovered. There was a sizable bloodstain in the dirt where his leg had been.

With Nikki supporting him, they made their way slowly to another grove of shady vegetation about half a mile away. Jason was barely able to support himself and was experiencing tunnel vision when they got there.

As Jason lay down, Nikki rummaged through her pack. "We still have a couple of doses of antibiotic from the first-aid kits in our transport pods. Hopefully this will keep those wounds from getting infected," she said as she injected him. She removed the blood soaked shirt from his leg and washed his wounds. "At least the bleeding has stopped."

Nikki removed her halter top and used it to fashion a new bandage. Despite his condition, Jason felt slightly aroused at the sight of her tending to him bare breasted. She was just so damned sexy.

"What are we going to do? You are in no condition to travel, but I'm not sure staying here is a great option either. We are visible for miles on this open grassland. Every predator in a five mile radius can see that you are injured and may get the idea we are an easy mark." Nikki had already noticed that there were several smaller creatures following them at a distance, presumably scavengers hoping Jason wasn't going to make it.

"Let's continue toward the city. We may be able to find shelter there," responded Jason.

"Are you sure? Whatever we find there could be way more dangerous than any predators out here."

"We already agreed to take that chance. We agreed that this was our destiny."

"I know, but I would much rather face whatever is there with you at full strength."

"I don't see where we have any better options."

The next three days were a blur of pain and delirium for Jason as they made their way across the grasslands toward the city. They kept close to the river for the first two, so that they could maintain their drinking water supply, but ultimately the river turned away from their path toward the city, and they had to break from it. Jason felt bad for Nikki, as she was obviously reaching her limits of physical endurance half-carrying him on their journey. He felt guilty for putting her though such a grueling ordeal and putting her life at risk for him.

They travelled mostly in the early morning and late evenings, resting during the heat of the day and in the darkest part of the night. By late morning of the fourth day since Jason's injury, they appeared to be less than a day away from reaching the settlement. They found a small shrub to provide shade and decided to rest and gather their strength for one last push that evening.

Nikki removed the bandage from Jason's leg. The skin around the wounds looked red and angry. It looked like an infection was setting in. She put her hand on his forehead to confirm what he already knew; he was feverish. Nikki looked at Jason, visibly upset, and said, "We may need to amputate to save your life."

"How many doses of antibiotic are left?"

"Looks like enough for three, but it hasn't seemed to be helping."

"Give me all of it at once and if it doesn't look better by this time tomorrow, we'll make a decision."

Jason studied Nikki as she injected him. She was crying. Tears mixed with drips of sweat and made paths through the coating of dirt on her bare, sunburned skin. One droplet clung to the end of her right nipple, and he idly reached out and let it run onto his fingertip. He marveled at how the times she was the most dirty and disheveled was when she seemed the most beautiful to him.

"I love you, Red," he said quietly.

Nikki looked at him with panic in her eyes. She wasn't sure if there was more behind that statement than just a simple declaration of affection. "You're not . . . giving up are you? You can't!"

"Oh hell, no. I plan to be the first human to shake hands with the aliens . . . I know, I know, we're the aliens, but it's too confusing to say it that way . . ." Jason realized he was rambling, probably due to the fever. "Anyway, sometimes 'I love you' just means I love you."

Nikki looked relieved. "I love you, too." She bent down and kissed him gently.

Later in the afternoon, as the air began to cool and the shadows lengthened, they set off again. Jason felt weaker than ever, and he was having trouble keeping his mind focused on reality. He tried keeping his eyes fixed on the shiny, black cuboid structures looming ahead, but soon the tunnel vision began. Jason heard Nikki's faint, faraway voice saying, "Jason, stay with me!" Everything went black.

Arizona State University, Earth

Leo's statement had proved correct. The day after the Antola VLE provided the world with proof of intelligent extraterrestrial life, scientists from around the globe were clamoring for a chance to be transported there.

Marcella's petition was essentially overtaken by events. What Jason and Nikki found when they reached the city could so radically change their situation that it was useless to guess what the appropriate next move by anyone on Earth should be to help them. Moreover, the interest by the international scientific community made it a virtual certainty that additional people and supplies would be shipped to Antola in the very near future.

Mario and Marcella returned to ASU the next day. When they arrived at Mario's dorm room, they immediately took a nap to fend off the jetlag.

Several hours later, Mario got up and took a shower. He returned to the room afterward, with just a towel around his waist. Marcella sat up and eyed his muscular body hungrily. She was wearing one of Mario's t-shirts as a nightgown. It was clear from the dark outline of her erect nipples through the thin fabric that she was not wearing a bra. Mario's roommate Zack was trying to be discrete, but he was clearly enjoying the view.

Marcella stood up and took Mario's hand. "Come sit on the bed," she said as she steered him there. She stepped back and began swaying her hips and caressing her breasts through the shirt.

Zack stood up and excused himself, heading for the door to give the two lovers some privacy. To his surprise, Marcella ran to the door and shut it before he got there. "I want you to watch," she said in a sultry voice.

Zack gave Mario a look and said, "Are you OK with this?"

Mario shrugged, "she's the boss." The truth is, he found this new development arousing and yet unnerving. Zack had already seen Marcella naked plenty of times. All of the friends that regularly attended Aziz's VLE parties had been naked in each other's company. Still, this was different. During the parties, Zack was always with Sasha. Now Marcella was inviting his undivided attention as she undressed and who knows what else. Mario wasn't sure how far she was going to take this or even how far he was comfortable with her taking it.

Zack sat on his bed across from Mario, with Marcella standing between them. Mario was relieved when Marcella said to Zack, "Look but don't touch."

She rubbed herself all over as she gyrated in front of them. She slid off her lace panties and tossed them in Zack's lap. She then proceeded to tease both men with the hem of the t-shirt, lifting it just enough to give glimpses of her pussy. She stopped, arched her back and lifted the t-shirt over her head. She tossed it aside and stood naked and proud in front of the two roommates.

"Now it's your turn to get naked . . . both of you."

Again, Zack shot Mario a look and Mario shrugged. Mario tossed the towel aside and Zack undressed.

Marcella bent over till her face was just inches from Mario's cock, giving Zack a view of her ass and pussy. She wiggled her ass for emphasis. Mario could feel her breath on his cock, she was so close. She lifted her head and ran her tongue up his abs and over his chest. Then she straightened up, straddled Mario on her knees on the bed and brought a nipple just inches in front of his face. He tried to reach it with his tongue, but she backed just out of its reach.

She wiggled her hips and slowly lowered herself until her pussy was poised just above his cock. Mario desperately wanted her. She eased lower still and the tip of his cock barely brushed her pussy. Suddenly, she backed away with a devilish smile and turned toward Zack.

"When I said don't touch, I didn't mean you couldn't touch yourself, Zack. Stroke it for me, you know you want to."

He looked embarrassed, but began to do just that. Marcella approached him and got on her knees. She studied his cock from just inches away as he slowly stroked it. "You have a nice cock. I bet Sasha loves it." She stood up and leaned in so her breasts were in front of Zack's face. Then she turned around and bent over, straddling his legs and backing up until her pussy was almost rubbing his chest.

"You like?" she asked.

"Yes . . . my god, yes."

Marcella straightened up, "OK, enough teasing, Zack. Go find Sasha and fuck her brains out."

After he left, Marcella turned back to Mario, licking her lips and fingering her pussy. "Did that arouse you?"

"Yes," Mario admitted.

"Did I go too far?"

"I . . . I don't know. You did get me a little anxious. I wasn't sure how far you were going to go."

"Good, I need to keep you on your toes," Marcella declared.

When Mario looked a little perturbed, Marcella laughed and added, "Relax lover-boy, I may like to tease, but you are the only one that gets to fuck me. You know I love you."

She straddled him again and this time lowered herself until the head of his cock was just inside her. She rotated her hips as she leaned in and kissed him. It felt great, but he wanted it all. He needed it all. Mario grasped her waist with his hands and tried to pull her down, but she resisted.

"Patience, lover-boy, you'll get it all when I'm ready," she said with a smirk.

"Fuck patience, I want all of you now." He wrapped his arms around her tightly and overpowered her, forcing her down until he was fully inside her.

"OH!" she gasped, "fuck me you naughty boy." He proceeded to do just that.

The subject of intelligent extraterrestrial life dominated the news feeds for the next week. Everyone was speculating who or what might have built the structures on Antola, and what Jason and Nikki might find when they got there.

The situation couldn't have served VLEC any better. In an instant, everyone forgot about the corporate empire's transgressions while demand for their hardware and services skyrocketed. Even people that a few short months ago were protesting VLEC in the streets were now lining up to purchase VLE equipment and signing up for next week's Antola release.

There was some dissention, mostly from the scientific community, against VLEC's decision not to offer "live gaming" of Jason and Nikki. VLEC usually did not offer this for their more popular subjects, as it would result in the relatively small number of live gamers spoiling the drama for the much larger audience that preferred the weekly edited release. As usual, it was Violet that actually guided the decision. Her simulations clearly indicated that controlling the story in weekly releases was the much more profitable approach.

So advantageous was the latest development for VLEC's bottom line that conspiracy theorists suggested that VLEC had faked the image of the distant buildings.

NASA and the International Space Exploration Agency (ISEA) were feverishly planning for a scientific team to travel to Antola to study and interact with whatever intelligent life might exist there. Despite the dangers of off-world travel and the likelihood that it would be a one way trip for all of them, there was no shortage of willing candidates.

Mario could barely think of anything but the upcoming VLE release at the end of the week. He confirmed that Aziz was planning his usual weekly party surrounding the release and that he was limiting attendance to the usual small group of friends. He was glad that Aziz's family was wealthy and he was not tempted by the substantial offers he was receiving from outsiders wanting to crash the party.

Finally, the evening arrived. VLEC had announced that this week's release was edited to a three hour length, nearly double the normal offering. That seemed to suggest that a lot of action had occurred on the remote planet over the course of the week. He and Marcella had the good fortune of drawing the first pairing. He stepped into the ES2000 chamber, shut the door and selected to be Jason when prompted. He was soon deeply immersed in the adventure.

He thoroughly enjoyed Nikki's amorous attention at the base of the cliff, managing to cum twice; once from the blowjob and the second time when he fucked her.