by G M Steenrod
Cassie had placed him in it, after a cursory examination for injury and a profusion of kisses. Two meters away, she showered. The shower head had descended from the ceiling, and brought a spiraling rain of hot water. She wasn't surrounded by walls or curtains. There was a drain in the middle of a slight sloping depression in the floor to catch the bulk of water. The membrane flooring would gather any errant spray and steam.
Under the flow of water, her adrenaline levels were dropping steadily. She felt a new-type of aliveness after the fight. Rather than panicking or falling into an emotional crisis, she had quickly and with great calm arranged for a security response.
A full drone force hovered around her home now. A quick pulse from the sensor deep under her house had revealed no intruders. A drone recon force had found the dead zone by the river—it had been littered with jammers. In response, the company was scrambling a shielded drone mother to the area that could operate even jammers. It would be there in 30 minutes. Until it arrived, no drones would be able to sweep the dead zone.
A human response would have been protocol, but because of Mike's presence, none had been sent. Xris, the owner of security company, had betrayed no surprise, and had simply integrated the information into the response.
Done, Cassie gestured delicately at the shower head. The water stopped and the head rose into the ceiling. She stepped forward from the depression and the steam, and raised her arms to the ceiling. Heat lamps came on above her and heated air vents blew down, knocking the droplets from her nude body. Her hair, draped about her shoulders in fetching disarray, she grabbed and squeezed lightly to remove the water. With a couple of tosses of her head, she was dry.
“Magnify,” she said. Her bathroom had the second most screen coverage of any room in the house. Her image, mirrored on the wall, doubled in size. She turned slowly, examining her torso. There was some minor reddening from the hits. There was a scrape on her left shin from where her body had been flung 7 meters to the river bank. She made a disappointed face at it. Her flesh had been remarkably resilient, considering the impact levels in the fight.
Her left cheekbone was a different matter. Fillmore's right had been a power house. There was already swelling along the left cheek, and a bluing point near her ear. Foundation would cover the discoloration, but the swelling was not so easily concealed. She moved some hair forward to hide her cheek. She tried some poses in the screen. The small amount of bruising still visible added a sexual roughness to her. It was a new look for her, but she was already constructing a scene around it.
“Cassie, we have to talk.” The Ada simulacrum emerged on the screen.
“Well, look at you, all ready for the warpath,” Ada said.
“What's going on, Mom?”
Ada was fully aware of the events at the river bank. She had tapped into report data to the security company when she had heard of the event.
“I just got back from Auntie. The data tubes went briefly unsecured,” Ada said. Cassie put it together quickly. When she had thumbed the display of the new glyph, she hadn't triggered the security for the pipes. She hadn't known if she'd have the time. For those brief seconds, the data pipes had gone unconcealed.
“What...”
“There was a significant corresponding CPU spike in the Great Quantums. About 5%. It's why Auntie knew that anything had happened at all,” Ada said, cutting off Cassie.
“What's that mean?” asked Cassie, still checking her pose.
“We don't know the implications. We do know that for a period of time the data pipes were visible. We know that there was a large amount of activity surrounding them. That's about it.”
“Someone was waiting, then?” asked Cassie. The massive amount of data and activity that moved in the Ether meant that a chance encounter with the pipes was highly unlikely. When the pipes went unmasked, they were immediately engaged. It would require a piece of software waiting specifically for the signature of the pipes to be active. Given the earlier attack, it wasn't too much of a surprise to Cassie. She would have to look at it greater depth-later. Now it was time for a proper outfit; one that would fit her rough, sexy look.
CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT
Theophany
Mike arrived, passing through a swarm of inquisitive drones, as he entered the home. Cassie hadn't taken any chances and had handled herself well both during and after the encounter. While she showered, Mike went to his room silently. He needed to relax and let the events of the day play through his head.
His jumpsuit was spattered with mud and grass stains. No blood. The whole thing had been surprisingly bloodless. He pulled the dispenser of quantum poison from his satchel and set it on the top of the dresser. With a tug on a keyed release, the jumpsuit fell from his body into a jumble on the floor. Mike had been living in a relative peace—20 years ago. Now, it seemed he had been thrust back into the most heated parts of the conflict.
Mike laid back on the bed, and clasped his hands behind his head. His naked body relaxed and came to ease. He drifted mentally, allowing the adrenaline to fade, and the images of the encounter to diminish.
“Hey, you.” It was a familiar voice, and then a caress across his well-wrought chest from beside him.
Mike, half-asleep, opened his eyes. Mary lay beside him. She wore a green halter top and a black mini-skirt. Her auburn hair was cropped in a pixie cut.
She propped her forearms on his chest, and brought her face close to his.
“I know you,” she said.
It was a pleasant dream. In the darkest times of the Troubles, he could always find a way back from his own internal darkness guided by the thought of Mary.
He smiled at her. “Yes, you do,” he said.
She tapped a brief tune on his chest with her hands.
“It's good to have hands,” she said.
“Are you real, Mary?” he asked, suddenly perking up.
“Are you real, Mike?” she asked, feigning surprise. She laughed delightfully.
“Seriously,” he said.
“Seriously? I'm as real as you are, Mike.”
She kicked her left leg over him to straddle him.
“Don't I feel real?” she asked.
Mike laughed.
“It feels like a dream to me,” he answered.
She pushed on his chest playfully.
“You know how to talk to a girl, don't you now,” she said, her voice revealing a slight Irish accent.
His face grew serious for a moment. This situation was too tempting, too comforting, and too odd.
He grasped her arms lightly.
“Do you know where you are? When you are?” he asked.
Mary's face became puzzled. She turned her head to the left and adopted a different puzzled face. She turned her face to the right and adopted yet another puzzled face. She turned to him.
“Are we in the future, Baby? In the house of granddaughter?” she asked.
“Yes, we are. How do you know that and why aren't you surprised by it?” asked Mike.
“I know it, because I know it. Because you know it. As for surprise...this,” she said poking him in the chest accusingly with her right index finger, “is just another day of being with you. I would like to say it was unusual or strange, but it's not. Have you tried living with you? Pheeww!” she laughed and Mike found it delightful.
“So,” she continued, “why are you moping around in bed?”
“Moping, sexy lady? I'm just tired,” he answered, clasping his hands back behind his head.
Mary turned her head to the dresser. She looked at the tube of quantum poison. She looked at Mike with a comically raised eyebrow.
“Is that for granddaughter? Are you going to use it?” she asked.
“She has something now. Built something. It concerns me. It could go very badly for everyone. I wanted to be prepared.”
“Are you going to use it?” Mary asked again, very directly staring him in the face.
“You should have seen her, Mary! You s
hould have seen her. She has a courage in her that is so rare. No, I can't use it. Even the thought of it weakens me,” Mike answered.
Mary smiled.
“Of course, what else would you expect from our descendants,” she said.
“I'm tired, though. Some of it is from today's fight. I haven't had to be that person in awhile. It looks like the Ecu is resurging, which means more conflict...”
Mary pressed her lips to him mid-speech, halting him.
“You've been the hidden king for a long time. We what...traveled through time...to be part of a struggle? Aren't you tired of being him?” she asked.
“I am more deeply tired than... I am deeply tired,” Mike said. It was an admission that he had been flirting with for years. Removed from “his” time, the ludicrousness of the length of his service was in his face and undeniable. It was time to bring his service to an end.
“We fucking or what?” she asked.
“Oh, yeah,” he answered.
Mary slid her mini up around her thighs and shifted her black panties to the side.
“Hello,” she said.
CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE
The Lair
Cassie sat curled on the living room. She wore a short a vintage, brown suede jacket, slightly out-sized for her. Her curled locks draped across the swelling on the right side of her face. Black stockings rose up to the edge of a checked mini-skirt. Her feet were shod in a pair of classic black pumps.
She had achieved an iconic rough sexy.
A bottle of Bordeaux sat opened on the coffee table with Cassie's glass next to it. The simulacrum of Ada looked as if she lingered behind the couch.
Both were relaxing. Cassie was slowly processing today's conflict, and stared nonchalantly off at the ceiling.
“Cassie,” Mike said. She had not heard him enter, but perked attentively at his voice. She looked over to him. He wore a snug plaid jumpsuit that revealed his muscularity. Beside him stood Mary in her mini.
Cassie recognized her and a quizzical smile spread across her face. “I know you,” she said to Mary.
“And I know that jacket, granddaughter. That's alright. It looks good on you. And I haven't been around to wear it in twenty years,” Mary responded, her voice had a slight predatory purr to it. Cassie had to collect the jacket once she had seen it in the vids. She had no intention of returning the jacket. It was hers.
“Mom?” the Ada simulacrum said.
“Hello, Ada's ghost-like presence,” Mary answered turning directly to look at the screen image.
“It's definitely you, Mom,” Ada said. Her face had a look that was a combination of both amazement, and slight disgust. The disgust wasn't directed to Mary herself, but rather to the oddity of the situation that now presented itself.
“Gramps, does reality just blow up around you?” asked Cassie.
“Cass, I don't think it's me. I think it's you,” Mike answered.
“Look at us! 3 generations of us women together in one room,” said Mary. She poured herself a glass of wine using the large glass set aside for Mike by Cassie.
Mike sighed. “It's time we talked about something openly,” Mike said.
Cassie arched an eyebrow in response.
Mary finished pouring and sipped her glass, grinning Cheshire-like. All the eyes in the room centered on Mike.
Mike paused for effect, “It's time to talk about the return of magic.”
CHAPTER THIRTY
Pending Books
Pending Books in the Tomorrow Series
There are already 3 more books for this series in the works!
The Hidden King: Cost of Blood
The Ecumenical Council, not willing to accept the secondary role it finds itself sliding into, threatens the peace. Cassie pushes the experiential glyph technology ahead. Mike and Mary must enter a shadow world of intrigue if they want to survive.
Samuel’s Gambit
Samuel, Cassie’s beloved pug companion, finds himself the only one able to save Cassie, and perhaps the two worlds themselves! That’s a lot of weight for his furry shoulders. Kumar steps into a role that fate has crafted for him!
Infant Gods
A mysterious motive force that has been twisting the strings in the lives of our beloved characters are revealed. The discovery is a turning point for humanity itself!
CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE
About the Author
G.M. Steenrod studies at the knee of the universe, and has a peculiar fascination with human nature. He is also a recovering academic with 4 different degrees, a former computer programmer, entrepreneur, and an expert martial artist.
He has successfully written non-fiction for decades with a focus on making hard things approachable and useful in daily life. Periodically, he has successfully reversed this process.
Currently, he lives in the high mountain desert of Arizona so his mind has room to spread out. Also his cats insist on it for some reason.
