Toni listened to Cain then looked at her own pop-ups, she could see she had similar though with lower strength and higher dexterity. John threw apples from the fruit bowl to Toni and one to Cain; who turned and caught it,
"What does that prove?" Cain asked, taking a bite out of the nice green skinned apple. Toni threw her apple at Cain’s back, his Nanogel armour did not respond, it did not protect him from any damage.
"Ouch," Cain said rubbing his neck. "I thought it would have protected me from any damage?"
"I think Enoch has something to do with how the Nanites activate the armour, he realises we are messing around so the armour does not stop the damage. Now if say Toni took that knife and stabbed you, then the armour would save your skin," John said. Toni opened her second stats screen, looking at her armour and Nanogel reserves.
Cain and Toni checked their main attribute levels, Toni had ten and five less in health and strength, though she gained an extra fifteen in her dexterity; they both had the same level of stamina. Toni noticed they shared the same Nanogel attributes, although Cain was currently lower in his power and armour mainly due to being shot three times.
Chapter 8
Worrying Development
Going old school, Cain grabbed a black virtual board marker and drew a large cloud on the virtual whiteboard. Writing inside the cloud, find and end Jason White. Drawing a line from the right of the cloud he added another cloud, and wrote in the top Game Zone 337 BC.
His hand continued making a list to complete once the game rebooted, find clues get off the mountain, find hidden portal and develop group relationships. Cain drew another bubble cloud on the left, entitled John. In the cloud Cain wrote: monitor news feeds, integrate additional PODs and find trusted former mercenaries and special ops. Standing back he asked did anyone have anything extra to add.
Over the safe house's internal speaker system Enoch spoke. Daphne agreed with Toni who was sure Enoch sounded like Tom Hiddleston, the actor who played Gideon in the Netflix series CBG, Cherry Blossom Girls.
"You need to add a cloud for Rahab and me, call the cloud Hacking, with the following tasks. Continue hack on JW server and Hack SPQR server, once and after full game deployment. You need to add to John’s cloud, examine Nanogel enhancements, write that in red," With the prompting from Toni, Enoch repeated a scene from CBG.
Toni told Daphne and Cain that while Rahab spoke out loud for the first time, she knew Rahab sounded like Eva Green, the actress who played Veronique in the Netflix CBG series.
"Rahab and I are doing a scene from the Netflix series, Rahab will do all the female voices," Enoch informed they as they sat listening.
Gideon: Driving the car. This was how we ended up at 9:30 AM in Wichita, Kansas, driving a black cherry Cadillac with a brand new laptop and a lipstick-sized three-terabyte portable hard drive in the back. I’d never driven a Cadillac before, and now I had, it would be something I looked for the next time we borrowed a vehicle.
Predictably, Dorian and Veronique were in the back, Grace next to me. I had taught her a little about using a smart phone, so I asked her to find us a nice breakfast restaurant. She took out my phone, did a GoogleFace search, and found a place called Beacon Restaurant.
Dorian: Sat in the back, playing with her nails. "Do they have pancakes?"
Grace: Riding shotgun, playing with Gideon's phone. "They sure do, and coffee," skimming through the online reviews.
Gideon: Driving the car. "Works for me,"
Veronique: Sat beside Dorian in the rear of the car. "Me too," as she looked out of the widow bored with the journey.
Grace: Still playing with the phone, turned up the volume so it could route driver Gideon to the diner. "Here this will help."
Gideon: Reminisced while driving. "We didn’t get to see much of Wichita, but from what I could tell, it kind of looked like Texas."
A static buzz sounded over the speakers. Toni whistled loud, Daphne clapped with enthusiasm while Cain and John told both AIs they would make excellent voice actors, if they were ever out of money.
:That was so impressive Rahab, I didn’t know you could sound like so many actresses. I have never tried to identify your voice when you talk inside my head and we talk together.:
[There is no need for a true voice our communications take place instantly, they are thoughts not words and thoughts are instant, not needing speech like Veronique or Grace,] Rahab said.
:Yes I suppose you are right. I am glad you are now part of me, together we make a complete unit.:
"How come I haven't seen that series, it sounds good. A guy with three hot women, just listen to their voices, you can tell they're hot," Daphne said. "Do you think our story will ever be made into a film? I'm sure Netflix would make it if we had a rich backer. Shame we don't know any rich people."
"Don't know. They made it about four years ago, ah! You were asleep remember? Inside the institute, you have much to learn. Season five of the CBGs was fantastic," said Toni. John waited for the talking about the Cherry Blossom Girls, and making a film about Cain and the DreamBabes to naturally end. He suggested they could test the limits of Toni and Cain’s Nanogel armour, as it would interest him knowing the advantages the armour provide them in the real world.
They all moved into the parking garage and through a door Toni had not seen earlier. Entering a long narrow room, Toni realised as the lighting turned on this was a shooting range, complete with movable targets. John threw a switch on the wall panel which moved the targets to the far wall, then explained what he wanted Toni and Cain to do.
Two hours later while soaking in the large sunken bath, Toni asked Cain if John was always so clinical in his experiments. Cain relaxed as the heat eased his muscles he unwound, his chin above the water. He opened his eyes and turned his head toward Toni, noticing her face had a blush from the heat of the water. She sat relaxed, soaking, her eyes closed as she waited for a reply.
"Yes, ever since I have known John he has been exact, even when I used to build Lego models for him, they had to be correct or he made me rebuild them. I remember when he taught me how to shoot a bow, he was always exact how to hold the arrows, pull the string and aimed the bow. He demanded excellence which as a child I tried to reach, he rewarded every step I took; even when I failed, which was often.
"When I became an operative he was the same for everyone under his care. He lost fewer operatives than the other quartermasters, his exactness saved lives, so I believed. So yes, I ache after we fought, shot each other and had vehicles run into us. We have a clearer picture now of how the Nanogel armour will protect us. How we can be more effective knowing our limits and advantages."
Toni squeezed Cain’s hand then slid closer to him she twisted where she sat so she could face him, she noticed the smile on his face and an appraising look. They sat for a few moments, content being together. Daphne walked into the bathroom wearing her birthday suit, sat on a toilet and had a pee.
"Do you guys mind if I join you? Though I didn’t get shot and beaten with a baton, nor run over and let alone stabbed. The experience of taking the old Jaguar XJS for a drive was exquisite, I think John will get the dings you two made out easily enough, especially on its long hood. The bath looks inviting, I could use a nice soak, it has been an eventful day for me," Daphne said. Toni said it was no problem as Daphne dried herself and flushed the toilet.
Daphne stepped down into the sunken bath, making appreciative noises as the hot water covered her body. Sitting near Toni, Daphne relaxed as she let the water ease up her body and covered her chin.
Toni let go of Cain's hand and rubbed his thigh, first on the top then over to the inside, her hand didn't fit as Cain's thighs were touching. Reaching her target Toni took hold of Cain's penis, feeling it swell as her hand moved up and down his growing shaft. Cain turned his top and reached over with his right hand and gently teased Toni’s nipple, eventually moving his fingers from one nipple to the other, the warm water keeping them firm but not rock hard.
Toni enjoyed feeling Cain's fingers squeezing her nipples, his strong hand taking her breasts one at a time, kneading them. Their heads came together, and they kissed, both oblivious to Daphne's presence.
"Sit back," Toni whispered to Cain, which he did. Raising to her knees, one at either side of the sitting Cain, Toni lifted her top clear of the water. Needing no invitation, Cain paid homage to Toni as he kissed and squeezed her breasts. Toni held onto Cain's shoulders, eyes closed enjoying the attention Cain was giving her. They stayed in that position for a good five minutes.
"Bed, let's go to bed," Toni said in a husky voice. She turned to speak to Daphne but realised she had already got out of the sunken bath and they had not noticed being so tied up in each other.
Relaxing Rest
Quickly rubbing each other down before putting on white bath robes, Cain and Toni left the bathroom, and nearly ran to Cain's bedroom, there sat, propped up with two pillows was Daphne. She had been reading a book, still grasped in her hands, her head leant back she was gently breathing.
"Well, there goes my idea of us making love," said Toni. "You don't think we could use one of the other bedrooms do you?" she asked Cain. Laughing Cain replied.
"No, as much as I'd like to make your wishes come true, we do need our rest before we go back into Forsaken. The others will have had eight hours while we've been to the Netherlands, driven across London. You've shot down three helicopters, driven a hover lorry, forcing an SUV onto a Maglev rail track. So I think we need a rest, don't you?"
"You're forgetting saving Mila and Suza, operating on Daphne, rescuing our three man team in the Netherlands too," replied Toni.
Reluctant but in the end Toni agreed with Cain, they both dropped the damp bathrobes and slipped under the sheets, the bed was large enough for them to fit on Daphne's left hand side. Toni placed her head on Cain's shoulder, they both drifted off to sleep within ten minutes, the safe house's EI turned the lights off sensing no movement, only hearing light breathing.
John was deep into the news vid-feeds, reading about the terrorist attack in London. Some reports saying it was the work of some Luddite group, a group who wanted things to return to the way things were before WWD. As John read through the reports of the police site he had access to, he read the people from the helicopters had all been missing when the police arrived or been found dead.
There was no trace of the people being from the EC special protectorate unit or any EC military unit. The press office for the PM was doing a good job of covering up his involvement regarding Daphne.
"John are you ready to talk? Cain and Toni are asleep, the sensors in their room show they and Daphne are asleep," asked Rahab, quietly over the speakers.
"First, how has your integration gone how are you continuing to learn?" John asked the two AIs.
"Once I neared 100% I realised there is so much room to expand into, so many memories from Cain's past life events. I managed to catalogue them and have finished a full review of Cain's life choices. He is a straight forward man, he builds his actions around a moral core.
"He puts others needs above his own, would lay down his life to save those he loves. I can see the influence you have had in his life, he regards you as a father figure, you know?" Enoch said.
"I am like Enoch, Toni's mind was difficult to catalogue, her early years were full of traumatic events which changed her view on relationships. Toni's relationship with Cain developed over time, she realised he was caring, dependable while working for SPQR.
"After his rescue of her and the subsequent night together, followed by their making love, she realised he is also very loving. Nothing like previous relationships which left her unfulfilled. Now her love for Cain is solid and deep, she will do anything for him, such are her feelings. I estimate I have used around 4% of Toni's brain to reach my current abilities. I will stop expanding once I reach 10%, testing from that position building my interactions with Toni," Rahab replied.
"Yes, I also have integrated though I have used more, around 7% of Cain's brain. Like Rahab, I will make extra checks once I reach 10%, then I'll work with Cain to see if I can grow and use more of his processing resource," added Enoch.
The discussions carried on while their hosts slept, covering several areas of development that John was keen to see grow. John questioned the hacking of Jason's server to which Rahab told him they were about 4% of the way through a hard crack. John told them he had asked for the paper files and photos taken by the police force in Paris. Some documentation was missing from the online cloud reports.
"I have not collected paper files nor downloaded digital ones as someone had taken the lead inspector off the case. Before he became ill, two days after searching Jason's apartment," John asked them to see if Toni or Cain gained any special abilities in the real world once they achieved their 10% use.
"Did you know the Nanogel would react with us, them, the way it did?" Enoch asked.
"Not to the extent it has. I expected the Nanogel would interact with their bodies, though not in such a significant way. I will carry out more research once they enter the PODs. Now we know what happens I can keep a close check on Daphne, this will be the first time she has used either my POD or my Nanogel," John replied.
John brought up a map showing locations of each of Cain and Toni's team members. There were notes next to each person, with links to additional information found on the internet. Enoch told John he would keep a check on Jasper De Vries, as Jasper had a deal with Jason and is his stooge.
"We can't find Jason, but we know where De Vries is," was Enochs reasoning. Rahab told John she would keep a check on Lesley and Sophie in the game while she searched for the Assassins4Hire server. She said she would try to uncover those behind the attacks on Cain and Toni. There must be a trail for the money, we should be able to find where it came from and who it was paid to. Both Enoch and Rahab were unhappy their hosts had been attacked in the game zone 2027, and in London that morning.
In the bedroom Cain was fighting a battle in one of his nightmare dreams, one where he did not save the women chained in a cage. He murmured in his sleep then moved his hands, something pinned his left one but his right one was above the sheet. Lifting his XM8b, he shot the two slavers as they entered the room where the chained women were, the women, terrified yet silent at the sudden deaths of the two men.
Searching their dead bodies, Cain found a set of keys, this was the part of his dream where the keys fit none of the locks. When he returned, he knew from previous dreams, these desperate women would be gone, cages opened, empty. In the dream Cain's arm was not able to move, nor throw the keys, in the bedroom held firm under the sheet by Toni.
Cain's dream changed, for the first time he remembered his legs. Dropping the keys to the floor he turned, using his powerful legs he kicked the locks from all the cage doors. He could not have shot the locks off as any ricochet would have hit the women wounding or killing them. That happen in so many versions of the dream, Cain was glad of the change in his approach.
This though was new, the women free of their cages walked to him asking for help. A voice cut through the noise,
"This way ladies, hurry, Cain needs his sleep," The women ran toward the female who had called to them, she stood holding out her hand, inviting him to take hold. Grasping the hand like a lifeline, Cain's dream dissolved around him, peace washed through his body. He'd saved these women, breaking the hold of the dream.
{That was close. It's a good job we can access their dreams,}
[I agree.]
{Well done on using Toni to grab Cain's hand,}
[Yes, we work well together Enoch.]
{Yes we do Rahab. Now, what was John just saying?}
Chapter 9
Decisions Made
{Cain, can you hear me? Wake up, there is bad news. Cain, can you hear me?... CAIN,} Enoch said. Cain, then Toni sat bolt upright, the sheet pooling on their legs, exposing their bare chests. With them jerking awake, Daphne awoke too, she
looked at her naked bed partners.
"Seriously! Come on guys, I had barely gone to sleep, and you come to bed with no clothes on, what were you going to do, make love without me?" Daphne said. Toni rolled out of bed before Cain, who looked at his watch.
"We've had four hours of sleep or two days of playing Forsaken. Enoch and Rahab woke us... " lifting his head taking a long look at Toni as she pulled her jeans on, he continued. "You better get changed, then you can find out why we've woken from our beauty sleep," Cain said, falling onto the bed as he pulled his own jeans on, while standing on one jean leg with his other foot.
"Idiot, I love you," laughed Toni. As she fastened her bra then spun it into place before putting one of Cain's jean fabric shirts on. Lifting the shirt to her nose, Toni inhaled Cain's nice cedar scent. Still standing at Cain's wardrobe, Toni retrieved a check patterned shirt for Daphne, who went braless due to being rushed.
Cain let his ladies go first, giving Toni a light smack on her arse as she went past him. Daphne stopped, pushing her behind out for the same treatment. Cain obliged, hitting her on the same cheek, while Toni told him he better be fit for later, getting a laugh from Daphne.
John spoke to them when they entered the planning room, they sat on their previous chairs. He had the large monitor paused with a news feed.
"There has been a terrorist attack on the game server facility in Paris. Watch the news, then we can talk about the implications," said John. Telling the EI to play the news segment, John sat with the others and watched the clip a third time.
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