Forsaken 337 BC

by Sharon Leslie

  Cain blinked the non-existent sleep from his eyes, the Nanogel kept any users body scrupulously clean. The hiss of the POD lid opening, provided Cain with the impetus to disconnect his NL link and face mask, exit his POD so he could be with Toni and Daphne. As Cain stepped out of the POD the lids of Daphne’s then Toni’s PODs opened.

  Offering each of his females a hand to exit their PODs. Once they were out they headed hand in hand to the shower room. Although their bodies were clean, they each felt the need to feel hot water cascading upon their skin. Free from Forsaken, they shared in the washing of each other, becoming aroused as they did so.

  Cain, surprised his erection stayed firm after he came making love to Toni standing in the shower, he stayed fully erect for Daphne sit astride him as he sat on a toilet lid. They moved in harmony, increasing their pace, Cain went in deep on each thrust as their bodies came together. Time had no meaning as they made love, eventually Daphne came, crying out in pleasure. As her orgasm finished, Daphne could feel Cain's penis tighten as he came deep inside her, leading her into another orgasm. Shuddering and spent they collapsed together, joining with Toni who kissed both deeply. A quick shower to wash their bodies clean after making love, dried the laid on the bed and had soon drifted asleep, resting in each other's presence, complete and satisfied.

  {Cain, John has made a brunch for you and fresh jugs of tea and coffee. Wake yourselves up and go find out the news,} Enoch told Cain. Looking across at Toni, Cain could tell she was speaking to Rahab.

  ^C^ Come on, let’s get up again. John has made brunch and a fresh jugs of coffee and tea. ^

  "How, how can you? We’re not in the game," said Toni.

  "How can he what?" asked Daphne.

  ^C^ Hi Daphne, I can talk to both of you like I can talk to Toni in the game. It has to do with our AIs and the inter-POD linkage. I think. ^

  ^T^ This is so cool. How does it work? We need to ask John. ^

  They hurried back to the shower room, each had a sink wash. Getting dressed in normal everyday clothes, they went to find the food and John.

  "John," Toni started. "How can Daphne, Cain and I talk mind to mind? I thought it was only a perk in the game, not something we could ever manage in reality?"

  "If you remember, both you and Cain having a tougher skin, almost like armour plating. The ability to talk with your minds is something you both can already do. I think getting back into the PODs somehow made you forget you had already spoken with your minds previously. We need to give you a card for when you come back into reality. A card which lists the extra things you can do because of your time in the PODs and immersion in our special Nanogel," said John.

  "Until you mentioned the bit about having armoured skin I had forgotten. These advantages I assume have not gone but improved, become better. We can speak to Daphne now. I cannot remember speaking to her before," Cain said. John told them he thought it was the mix of game play and reality which was blurring the edges of reality.

  They quickly cleared the food John kindly made for them and drank the tea and coffee. John informed them, Cain has a meeting with Marcy at the Sherlock Holmes drinking establishment. Cain looked at the clock it was nine forty-five. Daphne asked if she could stay behind, practising her shooting skills while they took off to see Marcy. Daphne also wanted to access her cloud stored research documents from eight years ago, and see if she could find anything that mentioned Jason.

  Toni and Cain left the safe house with Cain in the driving seat. Thirty minutes later the EI pulled into and parked on the top floor in the parking garage. Toni chose the garage, a ten-minute walk from where they would meet Marcy, they were twenty minutes early. Although both armed walking to the meeting was one of observation not obsession with each other. Toni spotted two men working from the back of a van, there was a red barrier around a manhole in the pavement.

  ^T^ Two workmen, their overalls are brand new, not a single mark on them. ^

  Cain pulled Toni to him and gave her a kiss, and whispered to her, "There is a blacked-out SUV with five men inside in the road we just passed. I've discovered I can see in infra-red, another perk carried across from the game, he said.

  "I don’t think they are government contractors as the vehicle has private plates. With the two workmen that is the size of Marcy’s team. I bet Marcy has arrived early and is inside the pub. Shall we go around the back and surprise her?"

  Cain used his HUD map and led Toni to the rear of the pub, he knocked on the kitchen door. Ten seconds later a woman opened the door, coming face to face with Cain’s government id card, held against his Glock. The woman squeaked at the sight of the Glock, moved letting them both inside.

  Crossing the large kitchen getting looks from the cooking staff, Cain looked through the serving door small window, he noticed Marcy sat in the corner, watching the main door. Cain spoke to the woman who let them in, handing her two twenty EC notes. The woman entered the bar area and pulled a pint of cask beer. She carried it over to Marcy’s table and placed it opposite her. Sitting, the woman told Marcy what Cain had asked.

  Twenty seconds later Marcy stood and walked to the kitchen, entering the door the woman left by. The first thing Marcy noticed was a couple kissing in the kitchen's corner, she looked around for Cain, as the woman told her a wheelchair man was waiting for her.

  Movement in her periphery made Marcy turn and pull her suppressed Glock, on the couple breaking from their kissing. Looking at the woman, Marcy tried to remember where she had seen her previously. As her mind tried to place together who the woman was, the man stepped out from behind her. Marcy could tell his movements were that of a dangerous predator.

  The woman's image finally clicked, her mind screamed, :Jason’s former girlfriend, trap!: her arm lifted her Glock, as she began to move in reaction to her mind thinking this was a trap. Then the man spoke, a voice she recognised without trying or having to place it.

  "It is OK Marcy, there is no danger here. Lower your gun I wouldn’t want you wasting a bullet trying to kill my wife," said Cain. As soon as he said wife, Toni felt a flash of lightning sear her brain, my wife. Those two words made Toni’s heart beat for joy. Cain’s words came a fraction of a second late as Marcy fired her suppressed Glock, hitting Toni under her left breast.

  "Ouch, fuck that stings. Why the fuck did you shoot me Marcy? Cain said there was no danger. Damn, look at the hole in my blouse and bra," Toni said sticking a finger through the hole in her blouse and into her bra.

  Cain checked, though he knew Toni was OK, before he spoke to Marcy, "please get your team to stand down Marcey. Don't tell them who you have met with and you will see them at the old pumping station in Rainham on Lansom Road, Rainham," Marcey told her team to stand down and meet with her in Rainham. She then spoke to Cain.

  "How come you are standing and walking like you have normal legs? How is she your wife? Like how can she still be standing? She is not wearing a bullet-proof vest, I can see the outline of her boobs and her nipples are standing erect. A slimline bullet-proof vest squashes boobs and nipples, I know it does mine. I can’t believe you got married to her, what the fuck were you thinking? I thought you were celibate and she should be dead I never miss, ever. Yet she is bitching about being shot, like it stung and that's all," said Marcy.

  Cain said he would tell her later and to follow them to their car. He led them back to their parked vehicle, leaving the Sherlock Holmes establishment by the kitchen door. Taking a different route back to the parking garage, Cain and Toni linked arms and walked ahead of Marcy, who had no option but to act as a tail gunner.

  Marcy looked at Cain and Toni as she followed them. :Seriously Cain if you could only see yourself and her. The way they looked at each other, walked arm in arm they clearly have a deep loving relationship. Bugger they are in love, well I never thought Cain would be so lucky.

  :Anyway how can she still be alive, I shot her at close range, she should be dead, not walking holding and linking arms with Cain, looking at him with t
hose huge doe eyes. And what about his legs, where is is wheelchair? This must be some bat shit crazy dream I'm having, I did eat an Indian last night, maybe the Tandoori was off.:

  Chapter 22

  Marcy Joins the Team

  Switching directions twice, they reached the garage and walked to the top floor where they'd parked with no problems. Marcy sat in the rear next to Toni, while Cain switched off the EI and activated the software tracker block before he started the vehicle.

  "Does Cain know?" Marcy, quietly asked Toni.

  "Yes, he knows I went out with Jason a handful of times. He knows why I did, so there is no skeleton there. Did you know Cain saved me from Jason's hitmen? They tried to kill me but Cain killed them," said Toni.

  "No, why would Jason do that. From my times with protecting him as my principle, I thought he was a geeky nerd and harmless," Marcy said, "Do you know why he tried to have you killed?" Toni knew Cain trusted Marcy, so she told her the relevant things, about Jason and being drugged, Vince and playing Forsaken.

  She told Marcy, "We got married in the game in Greece, we've not had a honeymoon as yet, though it feels like our marriage is true in the real world too." Cain agreed with Toni, telling Marcy the same. He added, "Marrying Toni is my number one mission once we have stopped playing Forsaken." Toni's heart nearly missed a beat on hearing those words, a rush of warmth flooded her body as she smiled.

  "Daphne probably thinks the same too," said Cain. Looking in the back he could see Marcy would ask him a question, as her eyebrow raised on his comments. "Daphne is also my wife. Well, one along with Bethany, Sophie and Lesley.

  "Then there is Myrina, my, sorry our Amazon wife and Areto, our first concubine. When the players not the NPCs finally get to leave Forsaken, they will feel married too, I am sure. Daphne is back at the safe house and I'm sure she feels married, like we do.

  "Toni though is my first wife, my other wives married her too, giving their binding words. We think those words have power in the real world. We know there has been some cross over from the game into reality, so it is possible our relationships will carry on in the real world too."

  "How Cain, how? I have known you personally since you came and worked for Square Projekt Quality Red. I knew of you from John, and the talk around the special operations people. You are a legend to us all.

  "When you lost your legs, we all worried about you. You left the job and disappeared from sight until you came to work at Square Projekt Quality Red. You are allegedly on sick leave because of your legs, well according to HR. Yet here you are not only with working legs but two beautiful women, two of your five wives to hear you talk," said Marcy

  "It is a long story, but easily explained. Jason has his fingers in many pies, one being Forsaken. We believe Vince has hidden himself in the game, and Jason is trying to find and kill him. I joined the game with Toni and I, or should we say, we picked up the other five, no sorry, six women as we played the game," Cain replied.

  Toni told Marcy the rest of the story while Cain drove past the supermarket, heading toward the new Thames motorway. The road went under the new Maglev line before Cain took a sharp right, pulling into the disused Riverside water treatment site.

  Entering the gate code, Cain drove through the site and pulled into the large apparently disused generator hall. Two minutes later, the blacked-out SUV and the nondescript works van followed their vehicle inside.

  The sound of the outer door closing was the only noise, as Marcy's team exited their vehicles.

  {One of Marcy's people tried making a location call. The phone blocker worked and they are unaware it didn't go through,} Enoch informed Cain

  :Enoch, can you let John know and have him bring Daphne here. We need to know who the weak link is on Marcy's team, we can't have a mole who may be work for Jason or the EC special protectorate. Get Rahab to check on their finances,: Cain said. Cain walked over to a disused office then down three flights of stairs, he reached a large round and armoured vault door. On the right was a number keypad, along with both optical and fingerprint scanners.

  {The person who has betrayed Marcy is Kevin Jeffries. I think somehow they replaced him using an augmented clone, infiltrating Marcy's team. I let John know… He said take them into the lower level where he placed an old but working CT scanner,} said Enoch.

  Cain tapped in the code then leant over the optic scanner with his left eye, while using his right hand on the hand scanner. Three seconds later and two beeps, followed by the low rumbling of gears turning as door bolts began retracting, broke the silence. Fifteen seconds later the vault door slid down into the floor.

  Leading the people inside, Cain took them down another four flights of stairs where they entered a large room, set out with several comfy chairs and six large five seater settees, in different colours.

  Rahab had told Toni what was going on, she informed Toni where they had located everything in the base, down to the long-term food supply. Making what she would offer be so much easier as there were the supplies to make the drinks.

  ^T^ C, I will make a drink, don't tell me where the kitchen is, OK. xxx ^

  ^C^ Why? Never mind, xxxx ^. Speaking over everyone who was walking, Toni asked who wanted a hot drink. Getting up from her chair Toni headed toward what people thought was the Kitchen. Reaching the kitchen, Toni filled the kettle then turned it on, once on she ran down the corridor to the medical area, there she hunted for the medicine cabinet.

  Finding what she wanted as Rahab told her it was in the secondary base inventory. Toni filled a fifty-millilitre syringe with Rohypnol. Running back to the kitchen, Toni rather shakily made a large jug of instant coffee and two mugs of tea.

  Taking the drinks back into the room, Toni handed the drinks out. As she suspected Kevin switched drinks, taking a coffee rather than the tea he'd asked for. Cain and Marcy were still talking when Toni went to the toilet. Coming back two minutes later she waited for Cain to ask Marcy to shoot him. Marcy's squad were shocked and reacted as Toni expected, by getting out of their chairs, hands reaching for their weapons.

  Everyone stood behind Marcy as she aimed her suppressed Glock at Cain's torso, shooting him twice. Cain grunted a little, but he stood showing he had no wounds. To prove he had no bullet-proof vest on, Cain stripped his jumper and shirt off. The two previous shots evident as two holes could be seen in both jumper and shirt.

  With Cain urging her, Marcy fired three more times at him, her squad thought it was a fix and jostled Marcy to inspect her weapon. Toni jabbed the syringe into Kevin's neck, injecting the full load of Rohypnol into his body. Leaving the syringe jutting out of his neck, Toni wrapped her arms around Kevin restricting his arm movements. He struggled, trying to reach his weapon unable to break Toni's grip.

  Five seconds was all it took for Kevin to collapse first to his knees, then slowly toppled over on to the floor as his eyes glazed over. Marcy turned when Toni jabbed the syringe into Kevin and would have shot Toni, but she knew it was pointless. Two of her squad did not and shot Toni eleven times before they realised she was still alive, their shots having no effect apart from making her grunt as each shot hit her body.

  Cain quickly told Marcy why Toni had knocked Kevin out. Although Marcy did not believe Cain, she knew Cain must be telling her the truth for Toni to have acted so. Marcy realised she had to trust her instincts, so together with Toni they took Kevin down two flights the CT scanner room, and placed him in the scanner. Enoch remotely accessed the program and took several CAT scans of Kevin.

  The metallic parts of the hybrid machine were easy to see, once scanned. Marcy believed Cain, while her two men who took shots at Toni apologised to her. Marcy looked at the results and decided what she needed to do. After she dragged Kevin out of the CT scanner and dropped him on to the floor.

  Next, by going first, Marcy had each of her team take a turn in the CT scanner. Marcy wanted to prove to Cain, all her team was trustworthy. Twenty minutes after they dropped Kevin on the floor, all of Marcy's squ
ad had a full body scan.

  The scans showed they were all normal humans, not part augmented cyborg, like Kevin. They picked Kevin up off the floor, carried him back up the two flights to the main room. There they fastened Kevin to a metal chair Cain found, using metal handcuffs and climbing rope. Cain used Kevin's boot laces and tied his thumbs across the palms of his hands, restricting Kevin's grabbing ability.

  They finished fastening Kevin as Daphne and John entered the large room. Marcy turned to Cain and said let me guess, another wife. Cain just smiled, Daphne crossed the room to him and gave him a deep kiss. John handed Cain a piece of paper with details about Kevin.

  "John has found out that the real Kevin died nearly twenty years ago. This person, your team member Kevin, he came on the scene six years ago, working for Jason, but under a different name with a different face. The id photos he had are the same Kevin you know.

  "He joined your squad because Jason knew they would select you Marcy, as one of his protection teams. He did not know who you were meeting today until he saw me as he got out of their vehicle, trying then to send a location message. I'm sorry to say we can't allow him to live, he would lead Jason and the EC government's special protectorate goons straight to us," said Cain.

  Cain did not get another word out, as Marcy shot Kevin three times in the head. She commented about how Kevin had not been bullet proof like Cain or Toni. Marcy looked up noticed another beautiful woman, :This must be Daphne, I must say Cain sure can pick them,: she smiled and nodded at her.

  "OK, we are in Cain. I never liked Jason, none of us did, well apart from Kevin, surprisingly. If it is the protectorate goons, I'll want extra money for my team. Let us say six apiece, with nine for me. How does that sound? Can you afford us?"

  "If you give John your details, we will pay a sign-on boost, a bonus percentage of your yearly wage, upfront. We will take care of all your taxes, and will pay a clean one hundred and twenty K a week for your team. If that is acceptable Marcy?