by Ernest Filak
“The clock is ticking.”
“Admiral, it is my duty to warn you about the possibility of a threat to Earth from an outside factor, the same one that took place in the Hadesian System,” I said in one breath. You can only live once.
The Admiral didn’t burst out laughing. He didn’t let his reaction show in any way.
“Do you have any proof to support your thesis?” he asked.
“Not in one minute, Sir,” I looked at my hands apologetically.
“I’m not going to do anything based on the suppositions of a private,” the Admiral pressed. “The fact that you have Z-3 on your heels is not enough.”
“Words must be enough, Sir. The threat is real and it can happen over the next few weeks, not years for sure.”
“Proof.”
I shook my head.
“I’m sorry, son.” I knew I had lost.
I slid the badge up my sleeve. At least I had the feeling of belonging now. I didn’t mind Ingrid being wrong this time.
“I’m not wrong, love,” she whispered.
The Admiral walked to the door and put a hand on the door knob.
“Say Jessica,” Ingrid shouted with such an emotional load that I carried out her wish immediately.
“Jessica!”
The commander turned around but didn’t stop the movement of his wrist.
“Step out,” I heard and then he said to both Z-3 soldiers, “he’s yours.”
There was nothing else for me to do but to succumb to the mysterious force. We were led onto the launch deck. The staff we walked by talked words of encouragement to us. Our guards were rather notorious. There was a lot of whistling and shouting directed at them. They remained deaf and dumb to them. They executed their orders with relentless care. Again I felt like a convict. I tried to follow Theodore who was walking proud and strong in front of me, as if he were about to be awarded for something.
Contrary to what I imagined we were not sent to the combat deck. The flight carrier had a smaller section used for logistic purposes. In the middle of a large circle stood the vessel that was supposed to transport us.
“I’ve had enough of black,” Theodore remarked.
I didn’t have much information about the Z-3 formation, which was commonly known as Praetorians. Everything I’d heard was gossip and stories that one would use to scare naughty children. The stern and merciless fighters often featured in art and literature. But nothing more. The shape of the ship looked like a bird getting ready to fly. It was totally different from the angular shapes of cargo shuttles. The front of the pilot’s cockpit was built into a spike hanging a dozen yards over the level of the deck. You could not see the pilot behind the metallic armored glass.
Side boards were raised up like the wings. There were assorted rockets hanging in different kinds of suspended holders. I didn’t feel like getting on board. But we were left no choice in the matter. The guards were very confident tossing us inside. An angular edge painfully hit my stomach. I swore badly.
We were seated in sturdy aluminum chairs. The pilot must have been on standby because immediately after we sat both boards slid shut and a red light came on. The engines entered higher vibrations. The machine was getting ready for take-off.
I couldn’t see the pilot from where I was sitting. I only saw the few steps leading up to the cockpit. Two Praetorians, still standing, took positions on both our sides. After checking the air tightness of the cabin they attached themselves to the hanging protection leashes.
The touch of armored gloves made the top part of the door transparent, showing the inside of the carrier deck. The guards took hold of the handles that directed the heavy machine guns located under the wings. The round red icon of a target lit up.
The Praetorian led the point to the take-off assistant who was standing on the side. His partner controlled the opposite side of the deck, focusing on the control stand.
“What’s that smell?” Theodore asked.
He was right. Distracted by my surroundings, I had overlooked the unpleasant sensation. One of the guards reacted to my buddy’s voice. He slowly took a big gun out of the holder. One arrow went into Theodore’s chest, the other one into mine. I didn’t even feel the pain. Then I blacked out.
Chapter XX
Hotel Victoria. Megapolis. Earth.
On the platform of the aerodrome hanging halfway through the height of the hotel, a private gravity plane landed. Outside the airspace of the hotel, drones hovered, looming around like vultures to get the best shot, aiming with telescopic cameras. Stability fields pushed one away from the other to protect the valuable equipment from damage. But none of them crossed the one-hundred-yard barrier around the soaring block of the mega hotel. Together with restitution for damage to the equipment such a breach was punishable by law and huge fines. The hotel owner was very particular about providing his guests with the sense of privacy. That’s why this hotel chain was very popular among those who highly valued even a short-lived moment of anonymity.
The rays of the setting sun brushed against the very long and very voluptuous legs of a young woman. The recorders continued their broadcast. Ms. Lara Lock, a former speaker for Uroboros and at present a budding porn star, placed her foot on the porcelain-coated landing ground.
Swaying her hips sensuously, she walked towards the connecting bridge. Hundreds of thousands of fans and green-eyed rivals assessed the cut of her evening gown and the neckline that plunged low to her navel. The men focused on her buttocks or the clips that covered her nipples, which were supported by an elaborate metallic brasserie. She was also wearing golden tights with diamond sequins adorning her ankles. The fad of autumn.
Women admired the accessories: her mother of pearl nails and stylish blond hair shaped like angel wings intertwined with priceless peacock feathers.
One of the cameramen took a mad risk. The drone he was flying whizzed under the bridge to get a few seconds of material revealing what the star was wearing under her dress. If nothing else, he could make millions on this fact alone. The whole video was only three seconds long, since this was as much as the computer responsible for the hotel security needed to take control of the system. In the fifth second of the breach, the account of the risk taker received the first offer, ten thousand credits, for the film.
“Welcome to Victoria Hotel, Madam Lock,” the Director General bowed low in front of Lora. “I’m sincerely sorry for the incident.”
“It’s all right. Really,” the star didn’t look in the least bit offended. “I have been a guest here repeatedly and I know from experience that at this time of year there’s a lot of cool wind around here. That’s why as an exception I have put my panties on.”
“Oh,” the Director murmured discreetly.
“A bladder infection is the last thing I need.”
The hotel staff was used to all sorts of possible quirks and unusual behavior of the guests.
“How can we be of service?”
Lora looked around the vast open space.
“I have a meeting with a friend.”
“Mr Jim Peterson is waiting for you in the Atrium, Madam. Would you like me to take you there?”
“Yes, please.”
“We need to get to the top floor,” the hotelier showed the way.
Lora Lock let him take her to the central glass elevator. A few guests stopped to take a look at the woman who was stepping up the career ladder incredibly quickly. The more courageous ones looked like they wanted to take pictures, but the discreet security men prevented it. They entered the VIP lift.
“Regular or express?” the hotelier asked politely.
“Regular, please.”
The round platform began to go up. At this pace there was enough time to watch the outside of the building. Almost all shops were open. Sale time was only just beginning and there were lots of people around. Soft sell advertisements encouraged to spend credits, but not in a forward way like in the chain markets. This is where the middle class di
d their shopping.
“Mhm,” the manager grunted. “I don’t know if it’s all right to ask you something.”
“Please go ahead,” she said admiring fur coats in one shop window.
“Could I ask you for your autograph?” he stammered shyly.
“Of course,” Lora sent one of her captivating smiles his way.
He handed her a video postcard with his trembling hands. A three-second sequence from her first porn movie had been recorded on it. In the shot she was simultaneously taking care of two compromised politicians. Politics and sex – this is what sold best. Despite the success of the co-production and the huge amounts of money it made, the politicians didn’t win the presidential elections. Their rival party recorded a more hard-core number.
She took a golden sharpie out of her bag and signed across her own breasts jumping on the screen.
“Thank you very much,” he quickly slid the card in the pants pocket of his uniform.
The rest of the ride was uneventful. They left the public section of the hotel and the lift stopped in an outdoor garden. Seeing them, a man sitting on one of the benches stood up.
“Jim,” the woman extended her hands his way.
“Lora, honey,” he put away the cup he was holding onto a baroque-style table.
They greeted each other tenderly, like friends who haven’t seen each other for a long time. The director withdrew discreetly.
“Please, sit down,” Petersen pointed to the empty seat next to him on the bench and poured a cup of hot coffee from the pot.
“Tell me what you managed to find out,” Lora urged him.
The man sat down and took a lock of her hair into his fingers. He smelled it.
“I missed you,” he sighed.
“Jim!”
“Lawyers say we don’t stand a chance,” he said regretfully. “Breach of contract with Uroboros is going to cost us all our savings. And I’m afraid even this might not be enough.”
“Now I don’t understand anything,” she protested. “From what I know, Uroboros has announced separation.”
“But the Board of the Stock Exchange did not lift their recommendation. In a crisis everybody dreads capital outflow. Uroboros, as a company, is still listed and still beats sales records. Until the Government sets up an investigative commission, nothing is going to change. All the contracts are still binding.”
“But there is no Government,” Lora wasn’t well acquainted with current politics. She had to catch up a lot and soon.
“And there won’t be anytime soon,” the former spokesman for Uroboros agreed.
He felt personally responsible because it was he who talked her into breaking the contract and returning to Earth. It seemed the most reasonable course of action then.
“Don’t worry,” she tried to comfort him. “We’ll figure something out.”
“I don’t know what else to do,” he said. “An hour ago they sent me a settlement offer.”
“What are the conditions?”
“Uroboros wants us back.”
“No,” she moaned.
“Unfortunately they do.”
She took a sip of the hot coffee.
“I’m not going back to them,” she decided. “Not after what we’ve been through.”
He squeezed her hand.
“It’s not going to be easy. They won’t lay off. It’s a question of prestige,” he warned.
“I’m not going to work for them. I’ve made my decision. Will you stay with me?”
Instead of answering he removed the hair from the nape of his neck and showed her the slot of an implant.
“I knew you would make this decision,” he explained.
“Oh, Jim, you didn’t have to do that,” Lora looked terrified. “This technology hasn’t been researched enough. You don’t know what you’re risking.”
“I had to, honey. This was the condition of WNN. This is the only way now I can work straight through the network.”
They hugged.
“Can I touch it?” she asked bringing the tips of her fingers closer to the metal.
“Sure.”
She touched the place where the skin bordered the implant socket.
“Ouch,” he hissed. When she jumped, he began to laugh.
“You scared me,” she protested and punched him in the shoulder.
Not minding the protests, the man drew her closer and kissed. She stopped hitting him and although she tried to push him away her resistance weakened with every second. For a long while they forgot about the rest of the world.
“They offered me my own channel,” she whispered into his ear.
“Really? That’s great,” he moved her away to look at her but didn’t see any signs of joy. “Aren’t you happy? Thanks to that in a year’s time we would be free again.”
Lora didn’t answer. She stood up and walked to the edge of a walking path. She dipped her hand in the cold water of a stream that was weaving among large pebbles.
“Nature is so beautiful,” she changed the subject. “It’s too bad that the Earth has changed so much. They say it used to look like that in the past.”
He didn’t interrupt her, letting her enjoy the moment.
“I would like to see real nature.”
“We could go to a preserve,” he suggested.
“It’s not the same.”
She sat on his lap.
“Is something bothering you?” he asked. “You’re not your usual self.”
“It’s because of this offer,” she admitted. “As an opening thing they suggested doing George and the Dragon.”
“Is this what you’re worried about? Sweetheart, I have already told you I don’t mind you working in the porn business,” he tried to calm her down. “Ancient stories were all the rage about twenty years ago. But if they want to go back to it, why not?”
“You don’t understand a thing,” she sighed. “In the script I’m not giving myself to George.”
His shock was total and he only managed to ask one thing.
“But how, you know…”
“Are you asking about the technical side of things?”
He nodded.
“I don’t know all the details,” she said. “They have genetically bred a dragon and fitted it with an implant, like the one you have. For the shooting an actor takes over control over the beast. All the sensations are sent online to the viewers. The viewer takes on the role of the dragon and feels the same thing. Apparently, the test have gone fantastically well.”
“It’s disgusting,” Jim Petersen couldn’t hide his indignation. “It must be illegal.”
“You and I both know that lawyers can always find some loopholes. But this is not the worst thing.”
“What is then?”
“Think about it!” she tapped his head. “I’m not physically able to have intercourse with a monster like that. I would need surgery to prepare me. More room is needed so I would have to have my organs removed and replaced with a synthetic digestive system.”
“I won’t allow it!” the man stood up. “Do you understand? I won’t have it!”
“These are all safe and reversible procedures. Although I would have to eat specially-prepared meals for a year or so,” she persuaded.
“Are you out of your mind? For all the money in the world, I won’t agree to this!”
Jim knelt in front of the woman.
“I beg you. Please promise me you won’t do this. Promise me!”
“Sweetie, I have already signed an interim agreement and I’m going to star in this show.”
He couldn’t believe what he was hearing. He was shocked.
“But,” she said, “I haven’t agreed to play the main part yet. I’m supposed to be the face behind the promotional campaign.”
“They haven’t cut anything out?” he was slowly regaining his senses. He would most willingly tear the dress off her now and check everything himself.
“No, silly,” she kissed his nose. “Who would
you make love to? My mouth only wouldn’t be enough for long. Maybe you are tolerant, but I’m not. You’re mine and this is the way I want it to be, ok?”
He nodded vigorously.
“One more thing,” she took the golden sharpie out of her bag.
“What is it?” he asked worried that she had left the worst thing to say the last.
“Beginning tomorrow the campaign One hundred from Lora Lock starts.”
“And?”
“Having paid one hundred credits one can get my personal signature,” she explained enigmatically.
“One hundred credits? But this is an exorbitant sum? Who could afford it?”
“There won’t be many who can,” she agreed. “But there will be some after they find out where the signature will be. Do you think there will be many willing to have the autograph of Lora Lock on their penis? By the way, when signed the penis must be erect.”
“No,” he moaned devastated. “You promised it was just business and you would only do it with professional actors.”
“I’m not going to fuck anybody outside the set,” she said. “I can give autographs, that’s true, but they can’t force me to give anyone a hard-on. Take off your pants,” she demanded.
“What for?”
“Because I’m not trained enough and I need to practice on somebody. A sheet of paper and the human body are totally different materials,” she pulled his pants down to his ankles. “I’m supposed to leave a symbol of the dragon on the underbelly and it doesn’t look quite good yet,” she confessed.
“Wait,” he said looking around.
“I’m making sure that nobody is spying on us,” he knew that there must be security cameras hidden in the bushes.
“Let them look,” she was surprised by his lack of knowledge of the mechanics of this market. “This would be great promotional material. Don’t tell me you’re too shy.”
Jim felt rather embarrassed.
“I don’t take off my clothes in a public place. This is your thing.”
“Then you’ll finally see what it’s like,” with one graceful move she took his boxer shorts off. “I thought you were ready.”
“No, I’m not,” he grunted. “You threw me off balance with that dragon sex thing.”