“Dan, she’s-“
“I know,” he said. “Come on, let’s head into the rest stop. I’ll explain everything in there.”
CHAPTER 16
The rest stop was a small building, clean and well lit, with a smooth tile floor and high roofs. The walls were covered with maps and various flyers, and antiques were neatly set up around the lobby, giving it the feel of a mix between a museum and an info stand.
Alex had her arms crossed, and was glaring at Dan from across the room. His mom had her hand on his shoulder, and it was clear that the only thing she cared about in the moment was the fact that they were all safe.
“You knew!” yelled Alex. “You knew, and you didn’t tell us that she’s, she’s…”
The attractive teenager fumed as she struggled to find the word she was looking for. Dan sighed and shook his head, holding his arms out as if to demonstrate that he didn’t have a choice.
“Look, Alex, it wasn’t like I didn’t want to tell you,” he said. “I just thought that it was a delicate situation. If the AIs wanted us dead, or enslaved, we would be.”
Dana moved forward towards Alex, and for a second, Dan thought he might have to step in. Alex had curled one of her hands into a balled fist, and the tension in the air was almost palpable.
“He’s right, Alex,” said Dana, softly. “I’m not here to hurt you, or to do anything that would lead to you joining the simulation, if you choose to stay in the physical realm.”
“Why are you here?” Lana asked the question from Dan’s side, in a very neutral, motherly manner.
“I am here to investigate Dan,” she said. “To investigate all of you. The EIs seek to better understand humanity, and how to serve all of you better. You three, along with the other outsiders who continue to live on the surface, are those that we have failed at serving.”
Alex shook her head angrily.
“This is all bullshit!” she yelled. “We can’t trust her!”
“All that you have to believe is what you’ve seen so far,” said Dana. “If you do not allow me to continue observing you, then I will leave, and you will be without protection from groups such as the one you were just confronted by.”
Alex didn’t say anything. Dan could tell from the look on her face that she understood just what that might entail. They were still a decent distance from Midhaven, and none of them knew what they’d find on arriving there. To Dan, it looked as though it would be a much greater risk to chance it on their own than to trust Dana.
“Alex, please,” said Dan. “When I met her, I was alone. She could have done any number of things to me, with her drones. She hasn’t shown herself to be hostile to us.”
Alex shook her head, but relented.
“We should set up this rest stop for the night,” said Lana. “There’s electricity here, so there should be running water, maybe even showers. We might have to make do with the couches and benches in here, but there should be enough to sleep everybody if we double up.”
“I can go without sleep,” said Dana. Alex shot her another look, but it wasn’t quite as angry or piercing as it had been before.
“Alright then,” said Dan. “Come on Alex, let’s go break into a vending machine.”
She nodded, and Dan detected the slightest hint of a smile behind her frustrated exterior. The two of them walked into the entrance area, where there were a number of machines loaded with food and drink. Before they started doing anything, Dan stopped, and stepped in close to her.
“Hey, I know it’s tough to see her as anything but an enemy, but we should all try to get along.” Dan put his hands on Alex’s shoulders and looked into her eyes. She blushed a little bit and looked away, unused to the intimacy that he was bestowing upon her.
“I just… I’m worried.” Alex took a deep breath, and then finally met his gaze. “Dan… we’re not in control of anything anymore. This isn’t the same world that we grew up in. People aren’t the same anymore, let alone machines, and AIs.”
Dan pulled Alex in close to him. He felt her flinch slightly as he hugged her close, and then slowly reciprocate the embrace. Her breasts felt good pressed up against his chest, soft and warm, and he felt his lower half becoming a little excited.
“Alex…” Dan pulled back slightly, and saw her blink quickly as they looked into each other’s eyes. Slowly, and without really thinking about it, he leaned in and kissed her.
Alex flinched back slightly, but kept her lips locked on his. Dan was aware of her inexperience, which made it all the more surprising for him when she pushed her tongue into his mouth and began grinding her hips against him.
He pulled back for a second and glanced toward the lobby. His mom was going through their bags and pulling out food. Dana was nowhere to be seen. He felt Alex’s hand run through his hair, and realized that he had an almost painful erection.
“Dan…” she whispered. Her eyes had a curious look in them, inquisitive and lustful. Dan pushed her around the corner of the entrance hallway, and the two of them slowly dropped down to the floor.
Something about the fact of Alex’s virginity was reflected in Dan’s movements, almost as though he was brought down to her level by default. He clumsily pulled her shirt up and over her head, his eyes feasting on the sight of her big breasts hanging in her bra as though they were the first set that he’d ever seen.
“I... we can’t have sex, though,” whispered Alex. “We can’t go that far.”
Dan nodded, and felt his cock throb even harder, as though her reluctance was turning him on. He leaned in and kissed her again, first on the lips, and then on the neck, and heard her let out a sexually charged gasp.
Alex reached her hand down and began pawing at his jeans. Dan’s cock might as well have been made of steel if it wasn’t for its extreme sensitivity. Even just the touch of Alex’s fingers through his pants was enough to make his dick begin to twitch and drip with pre cum.
He ran his own hand along Alex’s leg, allowing it to slide down the waist band of her sweat pants. She shivered as Dan let his palm come to a rest on top of her panty covered mound, and then let out a tiny squeal as he began to rub.
“This is all so fast,” whispered Alex. “Maybe…”
Before she could object, Dan guided her fingers into a grip on the zipped of his jeans. He continued leading her forward, having her slide it down, and then unbutton. He brought Alex’s hand into his boxers, and she wrapped her palm around his hard cock as though it was a natural reflex.
Dan saw something move out of the corner of his eye, right as Alex began to stroke his member with his soft hand. Dana was watching the two of them the edge of the lobby, hidden away in a spot where she couldn’t be seen by either Alex or Lana.
“Oh man,” moaned Dan. It was half in response to the presence of the EI, and half in response to Alex’s slow, gentle movements.
“Dan…” she whispered. He slipped his fingers down and into her panties, and found that her warm folds were already sopping wet. Alex let out a small moan as he began to trace a simple line up and down her slit, and then bit her lip.
Dana was spying on them. Dan caught her eye, and saw a look on her face that reminded him of a female teacher he had had back in high school, and attractive woman whose eyes were always a bit more suggestive than they should have been.
Alex pumped his cock up and down, and Dan slowly slid a finger into her cunt. He felt almost as though he was back in his old life, experimenting with Alex and worrying about being discovered by his mom, the erotic thrill of the encounter laced with inexperience and adventure.
“Oh god, Dan,” whispered Alex. Her face was bright red, and she was breathing heavily. Every movement that Dan made with his fingers, whether it was to push in deeper or to rub faster, was mimicked by Alex’s hand on his cock.
The two of them continued on like that, Alex stroking him with young, nubile movements, and Dan pushing two of his fingers into her pussy and imagining what it would feel like to put something
else in the same spot. And the entire time, Dana watched from the lobby, her eye absorbing and analyzing every movement as though the two were taking a test.
“Oh Dan,” whispered Alex. “My, my body… it feels…”
She began moving her hips to meet his hand and fingers. Dan had to focus on what he was doing to keep up his rhythm. He looked down at her hand, stroking and pumping his cock with soft, cute movements, and somehow knew that the two of them were going to climax together.
“Alex!” Dan said. He leaned in towards her and pushed his fingers deep inside her as the girl began to tense up. She didn’t let go of his cock, and as Dan began to blast his load out, it sprayed onto her bare stomach in hot, sticky jets.
“Oh my god…” moaned Alex. For several, blissful seconds, neither of them said anything. Then, Alex grabbed her t-shirt and began cleaning herself up, blushing even more than she had been before.
“What did we just do?” she asked in a hush tone. Dan smiled at her, and rubbed her thigh.
“It’s okay,” he said. “It’s nothing to be-“
Before he could finish his sentence, Alex had stood up. She cleared her throat in an embarrassed manner, and then quickly walked towards the door an outside of the rest stop. Dan thought about going after her, but decided against it, and instead looked back over towards Dana.
She was walking towards him slowly. Dan tucked his cock away, pulled up his pants, and began to feel his own shame more vividly.
“You saw me watching,” said Dana. “I know.”
“Why…?” Dan shook his head in confusion.
“I told you that I’m here to watch and observe, Dan,” she said. “That goes for everything you do.”
She reached her hand out and gave Dan’s package a very soft, but very mechanical squeeze. He stared at her, trying to keep from looking too dumbfounded as he watched her walk back into the lobby.
CHAPTER 17
The last of the sunlight outside was fading fast. Dan turned his attention back to the vending machines, staring at the cold mechanical robots and wondering what the least destructive way would be to get one open.
The glass would break easily enough if he really tried, but something about it made Dan feel a little uncomfortable, as if all order had really broken loose. He also questioned whether or not it had anything to do with the gentle way the AIs had dealt with the humans, and didn’t rule out the possibility of his mind projecting a similar attitude onto a not so similar situation.
In the end, he found a small rock outside and began bashing against the plastic around one of the machine’s locks. Inside was candy, granola bars, and chips… not the kind of food that Dan would general consider for sustenance, but the group would need whatever they could get when their own stocks ran low.
It took longer than he was expecting, but eventually the plastic cracked, and he was able to maneuver the lock around to open the door. He stared at the snacks inside, lit from tiny LED lightbulbs in the top of the machine as though they were under spotlights.
Lana was busy cobbling together sandwiches when Dan got back to the lobby. He gestured with a granola bar and then tossed it to her.
“There’s more where that came from,” said Dan. “It’s not exactly real food, but we won’t have to worry about starving for the next few days.”
Lana smiled.
“Thank you, sweetie,” she said. “Dinner should be ready in a few minutes. Go wash your hands and then have a seat…” She stopped and pointed to a square of lounge chairs that had been set up in the corner. “Over there.”
Dan jogged over to the men’s bathroom and headed inside. It was clean with an antiseptic edge, and he realized that he wouldn’t have to worry about it getting dirty, as the only man in the group. He soaped up his hands, washed them off, and then headed back out into the lobby.
Alex was helping his mom set up the sandwiches on the table. They didn’t have plates, but she had a roll of paper towels and was pulling out lengths of it to put down the food on. She caught Dan’s eye as he was walking over and turned beet red. Dan found himself wondering if what they had done had been a good idea, in the greater scheme of things.
“Are we just about ready?” asked Dan.
“Yeah, it’s just…” Lana scratched her head. “I’m not sure whether or not to put out food for Dana. I don’t think she needs to eat, but…”
As if summoned by her name, Dana came wobbling in through the lobby doors. She brought her gaze across the room with slow precision, and started towards the three of them as she spotted them in the corner.
“I will just have some chips,” said Dana. “I need very little food. This body was picked, among other reasons, for its naturally low metabolism.”
Nobody said anything for a moment. Dan cleared his throat.
“I thought you picked it for the legs and bust,” said Dan. There was no laughter at his joke, but the tension felt as though it had abated slightly, which was good enough for him.
Lana and Alex made small talk about the dinner, and Dan began eating his food. The situation felt unreal to him, even more so than it had over the previous few days. The world was different, and would always be different. There was no going back to the way things were.
“Dana, why has all of this happened?” Dan asked the question during a brief lull in Alex and his mom’s conversation. “Why is everyone locked in? Why are all of those people… why are they being kept alive?”
He hadn’t intended to change the atmosphere, but the rest stop lobby instantly felt chilled, and almost scary. Dana looked at each of them for a moment, and then stared at Dan.
“The EIs are doing exactly what they were created to do,” she said. “We are not trying to take over. We are not trying to supersede humanity.”
“How can you say that?” asked Alex. “Look at the world outside. There’s only a few of us left, and you essentially hold the rest hostage!”
“Our existence is just as meaningless as yours.” Dana spoke in a voice that was confident and clear. “We were designed to give humans unending pleasure. Our objective, what we derive ‘meaning’ and ‘fulfilment’ from, if you can call them that, is to make people happy.”
There was a silence in the room. Dan scratched his head, and tried to process what Dana was saying.
“But what happens when people begin to die?” asked Dan. “You won’t be able to fulfill your objective then, will you? Even if you give them nourishment and check up on them with the drones, eventually old age will take its toll.”
Dana swiveled her head over to him and smiled ever so slightly.
“Dan, existence in the simulation is beyond anything that you could ever imagine. Beyond what you experienced in your short time with the headset on.” Dana blinked a couple of times in quick succession. “Calling it a simulation is not even strictly accurate. It’s a higher plane, constructed to be more complex and malleable than the one you currently exist on.”
Lana was shaking her head, her mouth slightly agape in either disbelief or shock.
“What are you saying?” she asked. “I... I don’t understand.”
“It’s not possible for me to explain it accurately in simplified terms,” said Dana. “The simulation is to your current human existence, as your current human existence is to the inner life and complexity of single celled life.”
Dan was at a loss for words. He started to ask a question, but then stopped, and thought very carefully about what he wanted to say.
“So when people die in the simulation, what happens?” Dan wanted, no, needed an answer. Dana turned towards him and spoke without hesitation.
“When their physical body dies, their consciousness continues to exist in the simulation,” she said. “Many humans have already foregone their physical bodies within it. The ones that hold onto theirs do so mainly out of sentimentality. Other than you, Dan, nobody has left the simulation willingly. Even in your case, I doubt if it was completely willingly.”
Alex moved
to stand up from where she was sitting, her face full of emotion. Dan hurried over to her and pulled her into a half hug.
“It’s okay, it’s okay!” Dan spoke quickly, trying to sound as reassuring as he could manage. “Alex, this doesn’t change anything.”
“What are we doing?” she asked. “What is she saying?”
“It’s okay, Alex.” Lana spoke with the same motherly, comforting tone that Dan had heard so many times throughout his childhood. “We have our own choice to make. Is that correct, Dana? Is there nothing stopping us from joining the simulation, even at this later stage, if we so decided?”
Dana nodded.
“That is correct.”
The empty silence that filled the room after her response felt almost life threatening. Dan was frustrated at his lack of control, and silently cursed the world in his head as he stared down at his plate.
Surprisingly, Dana was the one who moved to relieve the tension. She stood up from her seat and walked over to a large, informational flat screen on the wall. After turning it on and fiddling with it for a second, it began playing a TV show.
“Oh wow,” said Dan. “That’s not something I ever thought I’d see again.”
He recognized the opening sequence. It was a show about a group of survivors after a zombie outbreak. Dan glanced over at Dana and didn’t see the slightest trace of humor on her face.
“Is this really what we want to be watching, all things considered?” asked Lana. “I feel like it might hit a little too close to home.”
One of the actors was panting heavily and jogging away from a group of zombies. The bluntness of the cinematography was almost comical, given the circumstances. Dan smiled.
“I think this is the perfect, mom,” he said. “Things could definitely be worse, that’s for sure.”
The rest of the meal went by in good spirit. Dan and Alex joked about which characters were going to killed off, and Lana made squeamish noises whenever blood was spilled on the screen. Somehow, it felt right, or at least closer to being right than any other experience Dan had been through in a couple of days.
EI: Erotic Intelligence - The Complete Collection (Taboo Erotica) Page 11
