Virtual Life Experience Pt. 04

Author's Note: This is Part 4 of a multi-part series. It is recommended that you read Parts 1 - 3 first to better understand the story. Enjoy.

Arizona State University

Mario entered the ES2000 Virtual Life Experience chamber, eager to resume where last week's session had left off. The discovery of the enigmatic 'Purple', an intelligent extraterrestrial creature, had raised worldwide interest in the Antola adventure to unprecedented levels.

When prompted, Mario selected Jason's experience and found himself lying on the smooth cold floor looking up at the glass ceiling of the extraterrestrial structure. While Jason may have been bewildered, emerging from his unconscious state, Mario was already familiar with the surroundings, having experienced its discovery through Nikki during last week's VLE release.

He/Jason called out to Nikki, "Red?"

Nikki immediately reacted and came running into the room, her tousled red hair flowing. She was dressed in nothing but a pair of torn shorts. The halter top she had arrived on the remote planet of Antola with had since been used to bandage Jason's wounded leg. Mario was instantly aroused when the stunning and nearly naked girl scooped up his head and pressed it to her freckled bare breasts in joy.

Nikki was an alluring mix of feminine beauty and street-wise toughness that Mario found irresistible. It was easy to forget that he was not really there; that he was living vicariously through Jason, who was actually the object of her affection.

Jason and Nikki were live characters in a game. They had been outfitted with thousands of sensors in and on their bodies and the signal from these sensors were received back on Earth by the Virtual Life Experience Corp (VLEC), a virtual reality corporate empire. Through VLEC's sophisticated VLE suits and chambers, gamers could remotely experience every sight, sound and sensation that Jason and Nikki did with uncanny accuracy, despite being 8.6 light years away.

Jason and Nikki were technically convicts. Part of VLEC's cozy deal with the International Justice System was that the courts could sentence particularly dangerous criminals to off-world deportation, whereupon VLEC would foot the bill to actually transport them there. VLEC would then instrument them with sensors before deporting them and sell the gaming experience derived from those sensors to the public.

A recent scandal had broken, where it was revealed that VLEC had taken advantage of the deep corruption in the justice system to orchestrate the convictions and sentences that best served them. Both Jason and Nikki had been falsely convicted as a result.

Mario found Jason's first interactions with Purple (so named for its propensity to glow that color when greeted) as fascinating and confounding as Nikki's. Once again he felt the raw emotional energy that flowed from the three legged creature when Jason touched the cylinder that it was housed in. The alien floated in an amber bath of liquid.

Eventually, Jason and Nikki tired of trying to decipher the creature's emotional messages and Nikki prepared to hunt for some much needed food. Jason expressed his discomfort with Nikki going out alone, but he was not recovered sufficiently from his injuries to join the hunt.

As Nikki exited the structure, the VLE session paused and announced it was switching to Nikki's sensors. Suddenly, Mario found himself in Nikki's body. It was a strange sensation, suddenly being a woman; strange but vaguely erotic. Mario felt a strong urge to explore his female parts, but of course he was bound to whatever Nikki physically did, and she was intent on the hunt.

She tried for several hours to stalk the green runners that were prevalent on the grassy plain, but their fleetness and skittish nature made it too challenging. The day was getting hot and Nikki found the shade of a small cluster of shrubs and sat watching the herds. Mario presumed her intent was to wait in hiding in hopes that one of the green runners would wander into laser pistol range.

After many more hours of waiting, thankfully edited to just 10 minutes for the gamers' benefit, the herd began drifting closer. Mario focused through Nikki's eyes on one of the slender, bipedal green runners who was on the outskirts of the herd and was grazing ever closer. Mario felt his hand reaching for the laser pistol.

The animals suddenly bolted. Mario's disappointment was replaced with fear when he heard grunting and squealing noises from behind him. He could feel Nikki's adrenalin rise and he felt panic. He knew what that noise meant . . . they were in deep shit. Nikki rose to her feet and shouted, hoping to startle the tusker pack that was closing in.

She shot the lead animal between the eyes and it dropped. The pack stopped and a dozen of them descended on their fallen comrade, tearing it to shreds in a cannibalistic frenzy. Nikki backed away, but there was nothing but endless grassland behind her. She could not outrun them. Her only hope was to stand and fight.

The animals began to fan out, trying to encircle her. She began dropping them one by one with her laser pistol. On her fifth victim, the pistol sputtered and died. Its charge had run out. Nikki drew her laser sword, but there were still at least 40 of the squat powerful creatures.

Mario felt despair. She could not possibly fight them all off in close combat. It seemed inevitable that this was how Nikki would die. Mario realized he loved her, perhaps as much as he loved Marcella. His own eyes blurred with tears as she gamely fought on, delivering blows with the sword. A tusker, charging from behind, caught Nikki in the back of the legs and flung her in the air. Mario felt the air rush out of his lungs as he/Nikki slammed into the ground with a thud.

There was a brief hesitation. Why had the tuskers not pounced on them? Instead, they scattered as Mario heard a strange roaring / hissing noise. An incongruous sight came into view; the three legged machine that had been in the back room of the extraterrestrial structure swooped in, shut off its thrusters and landed with a clank beside Nikki.

The tuskers regrouped and closed in again. There was a blinding flash and what looked like bolts of jagged lightning emanated from the mech, crackled through the air and connected with half a dozen of the tuskers. They collapsed immediately, with wisps of smoke rising off their bodies. The remaining animals fled. Mario breathed a sigh of relief. He/Nikki returned to their feet. Mario felt wobbly, but Nikki did not appear to have sustained any serious injuries.

Nikki carved off a haunch from one of the carcasses to bring back as food and returned to the structure, with the Purple guarding her closely in the mech.

As she approached, she saw Jason waiting at the door, relief evident on his face.

The ES2000 system allowed Mario to switch back to Jason's sensors, just as he swept Nikki into his arms.

Antola

"What do you suggest we do?" asked Nikki, having just been thwarted from exploring the extraterrestrial structures nearby. Their alien companion appeared to be hiding whatever was in those structures from them. Piloting the walking mech, Purple had physically grabbed them both and turned them around when they approached the next nearest structure to the one they had been occupying.

"I don't know. Just wait and see, I guess. Just don't assume Purple is as benevolent as it seems," said Jason. Purple had seemed friendly enough up until now, but Jason was beginning to question its motives. Thus far, their communication with the extraterrestrial creature was frustratingly limited. It was able to project and receive basic emotions and simple thoughts through touch, but that was not particularly enlightening. Now it seemed to be trying to control their movements.

"You don't trust it?" Nikki asked. "Purple did save my life yesterday," referring to her ordeal with the tuskers.

"Yeah, but we don't know why. A farmer would do the same for a chicken . . . then slaughter it for dinner the next day," Jason pointed out.

"I really don't think it plans to eat us."

"I'm just saying let's not be too quick to trust it. Anyway, it looks like exploring the other buildings in the settlement is out. What should we do next?"

"You know, I could really use a bath," said Nikki, pointing to a small stream about 200 yards away. "Let's see if it will let us go there."

"OK."

Nikki led the way and Jason limped along behind her, his wounded leg aching. Purple, inside its mech, followed close behind, but made no move to stop them. Jason focused on the vision in front of him. She was right, she was filthy, but that did nothing to reduce her sex appeal. Her shapely ass swayed back and forth as she walked, opposite the motion of the mass of cascading red hair above it that reached to the small of her naked back. Her entire body was tight, almost ripped, from months of strenuous survival on this remote planet.

When they arrived at the stream, Jason was relieved to see that the water was shallow and clear. He had been nearly killed by a river monster lurking in the murky depths during their last fishing trip. He was still recovering from the wounds to his leg and the ensuing infection.

When they got to the bank of the stream, Nikki turned to face Jason. Her perky left breast stood naked and proud off her chest, while the right one was obscured by a lock of red hair, so that just the erect nipple poked through. Jason reached out and brushed the hair aside and Nikki giggled a little. She removed her boots and wriggled out of her shorts. Jason watched in desire as her neatly trimmed red triangle of pubic hair came into view above a camel toe that couldn't quite contain the protruding folds of flesh that were already beginning to unfurl in arousal.

Nikki turned away and delicately picked her way into the stream. "C'mon in," she called over her shoulder. "It's fucking cold, but it feels good."

Jason undressed and followed her into the deepest pool, which came up to about the top of his thighs. Nikki took a deep breath and lowered herself completely underwater. She turned as she did so and emerged facing Jason's erection.

"Oh! Well hello there. Isn't the cold water supposed to shrink that thing?" she asked with a little laugh. Before Jason could answer, she took him gently in her mouth. She caressed his balls with one hand and grasped an ass-cheek with the other as she worked her mouth expertly up and down his shaft.

God, she is talented, thought Jason. She was able to produce incredible suction while at the same time swirling her tongue around his member inside her mouth. He felt a little self-conscious standing there receiving a blowjob in front of the watching alien being, but soon lost himself in the sensations.

"Oh god, Red, I'm going to cum!" he exclaimed after several minutes of her expert attention. Nikki increased her pace until he exploded into her mouth with a groan. As Jason began to soften, she turned and dove away. Jason dove in after her.

They washed each other in the water, caressing every inch of each other's bodies. "Hey, look, there are still freckles under all that dirt," Jason laughed as he massaged Nikki's shoulders from behind.

"Mmmm," was all she said in reply, enjoying the work of his firm hands. Jason pulled her close to him, grasped a breast in each hand and pinched her nipples. He nibbled on her neck while his growing erection pressed against her ass.

"Oh god, Jason . . . I want to fuck so bad, but I feel weird with Purple watching. What do you suppose it thinks of this?"

"Who knows . . . who cares? And since when did being watched bother you? Did you forget that, like, a billion people back on Earth are watching us every time we fuck?"

While Jason may have thought he was exaggerating for effect with his estimate of "a billion", their recent discovery of intelligent extraterrestrial life pushed the popularity of their VLE to unprecedented levels and the number was now a significant underestimate.

"It's easy to forget about the VLE, but Purple is right there watching us."

Nikki bent over and shoved her ass into him, clearly signaling she wasn't going to let her discomfort stop her. Jason grasped a clump of her wet hair and pulled her toward him. His hard member pushed its way into her tight entrance. The heat and firm grip of her pussy brought Jason intense pleasure.

"Oh fuck yes. Fuck me, Jason."

Jason was happy to oblige. Nikki seemed to forget about their spectator and lost herself in the passionate sensations, moaning, talking dirty and eventually reaching a shuddering climax. Jason's own orgasm followed quickly after.

Afterward, they were washing their clothes when Jason noticed a shadow passing over them. He looked up to see an antoladactyl circling above. He nudged Nikki and pointed up. When it began its stoop, Jason and Nikki scrambled up the bank and ducked behind the robot.

Thwarted in its initial attempt, the winged beast landed about 30 yards away with a screech. It tried to circle the mech to get at his human prey, but the robot turned to stay facing it and Nikki and Jason kept the mech between them and their hunter. The antoladactyl was startled by the movement of the mechanical creature and backed up a few steps, sizing it up. It cocked its head and gave another half-hearted screech before it launched itself back in the air and took off to find easier prey.

As soon as the antoladactyl was gone, Purple began herding Jason and Nikki back toward its home structure.

"This is bullshit," said Nikki. She had an obstinate streak and didn't like being bossed around. With that, she suddenly turned to the left and took off running. The mech extended a whip-like appendage to try to corral her, but Purple had been taken by surprise and was not quick enough to catch her. Jason took her cue and began limping in the opposite direction.

The robot easily stayed alongside Jason, but this was drawing it further from Nikki. Jason felt a static charge building in the air. There was a crack, and a jagged lightning bolt connected with Nikki, dropping her in her tracks.

Jason wheeled around, drawing his laser sword and energizing it in one fluid motion. To hell with interstellar relations; if Purple had killed Nikki, he would have his revenge. He stopped with the thread of intense energy just inches from the spot on the robot body where Jason estimated Purple was piloting the mech.

"Don't do it!" he heard Nikki call out, "I'm OK."

Jason did not immediately react. He stood glaring at the mechanical bot, maintaining the tense standoff. Nikki returned to him and reached out to his hands and de-energized his weapon. "It's OK . . . stand down," she whispered.

Once Jason re-sheathed his weapon, Nikki launched into a verbal tirade.

"What the fuck, Purple. You can't just go around zapping people, and I will not stand for being herded around like a farm animal! Humans do not take kindly to being controlled. You pull a stunt like that again and I will let Jason carve you up. Hell, I'll do it myself."

Even as Nikki berated the alien, they continued to make their way back to the structure. When they got to the door Nikki and Jason looked at each other, trying to decide whether they should enter. Ultimately, they didn't have a compelling reason not to, so they stepped inside. The robot followed them and the outside door closed.

The bot continued to its normal spot in the back room. Jason waited a minute, then entered the back room himself and pressed his hand to the large silver cylinder to the left of the now dormant mech. The material faded to translucent and inside, floating in the amber liquid, was Purple. It raised the flat tactile pad on one of its three jointed limbs to the inner surface of the cylinder, aligned with Jason's hand.

Jason projected anger. Purple responded with flashes of emotion that Jason had trouble following:

Confusion . . . contriteness? . . . reassurance.

"What is it?" asked Nikki. "What are you getting from it?"

"I don't know. Feels like it doesn't understand our anger, but is apologetic."

Purple glowed a copper-red color, matching Nikki's hair.

"It wants you," Jason said to Nikki.

Nikki put her hand to the cylinder. "I'm not sure, but it feels like an apology," she said a moment later.

Several hours later, Nikki said, "I need to pee." She went to the door and it would not open. Pounding on the door did not elicit a response. She went into the inner room to make contact with Purple.

"I don't know how to make you understand, we need to be able to get out at will. We need to be able to get food, water and um . . . eliminate waste."

Nikki turned to Jason, "I don't know, Jason, I swear it's telling me 'no'."

"Let me try." Jason put his hand to the cylinder and said, "C'mon Purple, let us out." He pointed to the door.

Disapproval . . . Reassurance.

"It's like, 'no, but don't worry, everything will be alright'," said Jason, interpreting the vague feelings he was getting.

"Yeah, that's kind of what I got out of it. Maybe I should just pee on the floor and see if that gets its attention."

There was a sliding noise in the other room. Nikki went out to investigate.

"A hole has opened in the floor," Nikki reported. "I think Purple just provided us a bathroom."

"It seems like it may be starting to understand us," suggested Jason. "Too bad we don't seem any closer to understanding it."

Two days later, Jason and Nikki still had not been allowed outside. They ran out of food and water. Nikki went to Purple. She projected frustration as she spoke. "We need water, we will die without it. We also need to hunt for more food." She made eating and drinking gestures, hoping it would understand.

"I don't know if this is working . . . I always sucked at charades," Nikki said to Jason. "All I'm getting is warm fuzzies from Purple."

"All right, I've had enough," said Jason. He was sick of being held captive. He went and pounded on the outside door. When that did nothing, he strode in to confront Purple. "You need to let us out, NOW! You can't fucking keep us captive. It's wrong." He put his hand on the cylinder and fumed in anger.

Purple flashed through a range of emotions: Anger . . . frustration . . . calm . . . reassurance.

"Fuck your warm, fuzzy feelings! Let us out!" Jason went back in the other room, picked up his laser pistol and fired it at the door. It left a black scar at the door seam but didn't do much damage. There was a loud crack and a bright flash and Jason felt electricity course through him. He fell to the floor, convulsing. The laser pistol skidded across the room.

Jason got back up, his face dark with rage. He grabbed his laser sword and charged the entrance to the back room, intent on going after Purple. He received a second electric shock, momentarily incapacitating him again.

"Stop!" screamed Nikki, "both of you!"

The door closed between the two rooms and the dividing wall went opaque then began projecting the outside world, as though the back room didn't exist.

Nikki ran to Jason. "Are you OK?"

"Yeah, but I'm pissed off. It can't get away with this.

"Well, it looks like for the moment it can. You need to calm down before you get hurt. We don't know what it is capable of."

"What the fuck do we do now? We need to find a way out of here."

"I don't know. As much as it sucks, I think we need to bide our time and wait for another opportunity."

"Yeah, well I hope we don't die of thirst first."

"We'll get through this. You know, I think you could use a nice massage." Nikki sat behind Jason and kneaded his shoulders. "You are way too tense. Lay down on your stomach and I'll work out the kinks for you."