Gamers and Gods: AES
Page 79
“You're joking, right?” Rita's face was a study in disbelief. “I mean, tell us you're joking. It's just not possible.”
The team was meeting on a rooftop in Boomtown. Darla could see the glow of the Pyongyang crater a mile or so away.
“It's not only possible,” she told them, “it's happened. I know it doesn't make sense – ”
“You can say that again,” said Sam. “Avatars are not organic bodies, they're just fancy 3D cartoons. How could a drawing of you get pregnant?”
“If my avatar is 'just' a drawing, then the computer can draw me pregnant, if it wants to,” she retorted.
“That gets us nowhere,” said Rita. “You just changed the question from 'how could an avatar get pregnant?' to 'what makes the computer draw an avatar pregnant?'. Redefining a question isn't answering it.”
“Ease up, will you guys?” boomed Sherman. “Obviously she slept with Aes. His avatar was realer than anyone else's, I'm telling you, and If he could bleed all over his suit and get compound fractures, I wouldn't bet against him being able to do other things.”
“Like being able to reprogram the PanGames computer? No matter how real he looked, there's no code in PanGames to make avatars pregnant,” said Rita. “Are you saying Aes pulled that code out of his ass?”
“He saved my life,” said Sherman. “If he can pull me out of limbo in Am-heh, I say he can pull anything he wants.”
“Could,” Darla sighed.
They gave her a few moments of silence.
“Not to mention, there's no way your avatar can eat imaginary food to supply the nutritional needs of this imaginary baby,” Rita pointed out.
“You're right,” Darla admitted. “Aes could eat the virtual wildlife, but I can't. Nonetheless, this imaginary pregnancy isn't just a padding pillow to help with role play.” And tired of arguing about it, she just took Rita's hand and placed it on her belly to let her feel the next kick.
Rita's eyes went wide. “That felt real,” she said. She got Sam to place his hand near hers.
His expression changed too. “Now that's something you don't feel every day in PanGames.”
“Look, it's not an immaculate conception, but something is growing in my avatar. Obviously it changes things,” said Darla. “For one thing, I can't fight until it's resolved. Aes was susceptible to damage and pain; if this is somehow his child, it could be harmed if I'm attacked.”
“How long are we talking about?” queried Sam.
“Good question. In here, in virtual space, I'm guessing it's as long as the computer decides – or requires – to complete the gestation. Could be nine months, weeks, or days, for all I know. Your guess is as good as mine.”
Chapter 3: Machaon: under development