“I… didn’t expect this so soon. I mean, how can I be healed already?” she whispered.
Alexander pulled his chair over and sat right next to her. He put an arm around her. “You’ve been in your pod for months. The structural damage to your bones has mended. Tissue damage, too. The nanites have been stimulating your muscles so they don’t atrophy. At least, not too badly. There’s just one concern.”
She looked up at him, waiting for him to continue. He saw fear in her eyes and it was like a punch to his gut.
“The docs are worried about your brain. Your sync level is now higher than anyone’s. Your mind has accepted Io as the real world just as much, if not more, than the actual real world. I tried to tell them all they have to do is put a stack of pancakes next to your pod and you’d break the glass trying to get out…”
She smiled softly and squeezed his hand at that. “I’d… will you be there?”
He nodded. “I’m going to log out the same time as you. It’ll take me a few minutes to reach you, but they’ll still be checking your vitals and helping you out of the pod. Don’t worry, I’ll wait outside ‘til you’re decent, so there won’t be any peeking.” She barked a small laugh at that.
“I’m… scared. My body hurt so much before…” She gulped. “Before the blackness. Even in the blackness I could feel some of the pain. My body gave up. It wanted to die. I’m not even sure why it didn’t.”
“Because you were waiting for me,” he answered. “You held on long enough for us to find each other in here. Call it fate. Luck. Whatever you want. But now that I have you, I can’t imagine life without you. So you WILL wake up in your body tonight, right?”
She nodded her head, unable to speak. He could feel her trembling and squeezed her tighter against himself. He rubbed her back and kissed the top of her head to reassure her.
After half an hour of just sitting and being close, she said, “I’ll be there. I promise. When they wake me up. I’ll be there. Nothing could stop me. I love you.”
Alexander’s heart soared. He believed her. The steel in her voice told him she’d do what it took to make sure she left immersion and re-inhabited her body.
For the rest of the day, the two of them just wandered around. They walked the keep hand in hand, talking to citizens and visiting with Rocky. They found Lugs in the stables, asleep on his back and hugging Fibble like a teddy bear. Alexander took a screen shot and made a note to ask someone to print T-shirts. The little goblin was snoring nearly as loudly as his ogre mount.
Alexander teleported them to Stormforge for lunch at the Stallion. He’d warned Taylor and his guards ahead of time, and they grudgingly stayed behind. After lunch, they visited briefly with Lydia, then stopped by the Greystone compound to check on the dwarven Master Smiths.
They sat in the lounge in the mansion, curled up on the sofa. Alexander told her about the Olympus compound and his quarters in the tower. She asked questions about the others. What they looked like in real life. Especially Sasha. Which got them on the topic of Alexander and Sasha growing up together. He told her stories of shenanigans they got into, mostly those that were embarrassing to Sasha.
When the sun grew lower in the sky and the air cooled a bit, they went out onto the balcony and he summoned Tigger. The two of them lounged against the giant white tiger’s side as Jules scratched his ear, and he purred contentedly. This was how they’d spent their first evening together, and it seemed to put Jules at ease. The time was approaching quickly.
Finally just as it got dark, Richard appeared. Melanie was next to him, wearing the bunny ears that seemed to have become a sort of uniform for her. Jules got up and hugged them both, crying openly as she thanked them for all they’d done. When she was feeling ready, Melanie took her hand and the two of them disappeared.
Richard looked at his son, who was doing his best to look strong. He patted Alexander’s shoulder and said, “She’s going to be just fine. Let’s go.”
*****
Alexander cleared his pod in record time. The moment he woke, he removed his head gear and was pushing at the plexiglass to make it lift faster. He practically ran to the shower, pushing his body as far as he could, then threw on a robe. He was leaving the bathroom when his father knocked.
He handed Alexander a pair of jeans and a button-down shirt. “You want her to see you for the first time in a robe?”
Alexander facepalmed and grabbed the clothes. Thirty seconds later, he was dressed and moving at his best speed toward the door. Richard walked with him, saying Jules was just down the hall a bit. Several staff members passed by, all of them giving Alexander big smiles. They all knew what was happening. Everyone in the building did. Alexander was like their boy prince, and he was about to meet his princess.
Alexander fidgeted outside her door. Richard had gotten word that she was awake, and okay. They needed a few minutes to get her cleaned up and dressed. He’d held Alexander back from just bursting into the room.
When the door finally opened, Alexander’s legs felt weak. His father lent him a shoulder to brace himself for a moment until he was steady again. He walked into the room and the staff members who were gathered around Jules parted to make way.
She looked beautiful. They’d brought her a green summer dress that highlighted the green of her eyes. Her hair was freshly washed and still damp, and her skin was pale after so long in the pod. She sat in a wheelchair near the center of the room. Alexander stepped forward as she looked up at him with a small smile that was both nervous and hopeful at the same time.
His voice cracked as he said, “Hi there, beautiful. What’s your name?”
Her smile grew as one of the nurses sobbed somewhere behind him. Richard quickly began to clear the room of all non-essential personnel. Only he and Doc Feelgood remained. Alexander didn’t trust his legs, so he looked around for a chair and dragged it over. He sat right in front of her, leaning forward. He reached for her hand, then hesitated. “Can I?”
She rolled her eyes at him. “Dork. I’ve waited all this time to meet you face-to-face and you have to ask if you can hold my hand?” Her voice was faint and a bit scratchy. The doc handed her a glass of water with a straw and guided her hand as she lifted it. After a few sips, she tried again. “Yes. Take my hand.” She lifted her hand from her lap unsteadily and Alexander took hold.
“Look at us. Star-crossed lovers in bodies we can barely move. They should write a book about us!” he grinned. She laughed out loud, and he thought it might be the best sound he’d ever heard.
*****
Matt’s phone buzzed to alert him of an incoming message. He was just preparing to leave the house with the view of the mountain. Checking his phone, he froze.
“Well, that is unexpected. I’ll have to adjust my plans a bit. With Jules awake, Alexander will be out of the game for a while. Maybe several days. They might even leave Olympus,” he muttered to himself.
Quickly dialing a number, he waited for an answer, then said, “I need an address.”
When he finished that call, he resumed loading up his truck. He traveled light. Several laptops and secure satellite phones, a cooler full of ice and drinks, a couple days’ worth of food, and two changes of clothes. Somebody would come into the house after he left and erase any evidence he was ever there. Fingerprints, DNA, all of it.
He’d already chosen his next safe house. It was a foreclosure only about a half-mile from his current location. The house was going up for auction in thirty days, so he could safely squat there for two weeks. Assuming Jupiter Tech’s security forces didn’t catch up to him before then. He knew they would, eventually. Richard was putting millions into tracking him down. And his people were good.
Matt just wanted to avoid them long enough to hurt the Greystones as much as possible. With his dad in prison, it was up to him to manage the group of people they’d gathered to help execute their plans. Some were simple mercenaries while others were true believers. Simple-minded fools who’d bought his storyl
ine and committed themselves to the fake cause he’d created for them. Ironically, he’d decided on the same ridiculous anti-technology blather preached by the man who’d set off the bomb that killed his mother. It gave the law enforcement people a rabbit to chase and used up Jupiter Tech resources.
Climbing into his truck, he took another look at the top of the tower up on the mountain. “Olympus will run with blood before I’m through. You can’t stop my plans now. You’re too late.”
As he started the truck and pulled into the street, he used his phone to check his bank balance. His family had been wealthy after the death of his mother. His father was smart enough to use the payments from the insurance company and Jupiter Tech to invest. Those investments paid off, and he and his family could have lived comfortable lives without working ever again.
But in recent years, they’d burned through most of it. Some had been set aside for his siblings and would not be touched. Matt had a few million left to work with. Mainly because many of those they’d agreed to pay had been killed or arrested, and never collected. He should actually thank the Greystones for that. Their efforts, along with the FBI’s, had kept him from being bankrupted. And he’d find a way to put his remaining funds to use. There was no planning for his future. He knew he didn’t have one. He’d be arrested or killed shortly. Maybe both.
No, he had nothing to lose. And that made him dangerous.
*****
Chapter 2
A Normal Life
Alexander and Jules sat on a sofa in his office. They were snuggled close, holding hands as they listened to Richard speak.
“Jules, the nanites in your pod can continue your therapy regimen. They’ll stimulate your muscles as you move about in the game, helping to strengthen them. But they’re no substitute for actual exercise. It wouldn’t hurt you to log out once a week or more and get some physical therapy. Even if that’s only a walk through the grounds or a swim in the pool.”
He looked at Alexander, who had his eyes closed and a beatific smile on his face. “Ahem. A little more physical therapy wouldn’t hurt you either, son.”
Alexander opened his eyes. After a second, he got a wicked look in his eyes. “So, what you’re saying is that Jules and I need to get more physical.” His eyes darted from Jules to the bedroom door behind his father’s back. Richard caught the look and rolled his eyes.
“Keep your mind in the game, boy.” He tried not to let any of his amusement leak through in his voice. “This is serious. You’ve shown more improvement than we could have hoped for since you started using the pod. Combined with the drugs, this could be the answer we’ve been looking for. Not a cure, but a definite step forward.”
The hope in his father’s voice sobered Alexander. “I’m sorry, Dad. Of course I’m happy to be getting stronger. And I’m grateful for all you’ve done.” He squeezed Jules’ hand. “More grateful than I can say. We will do as you say. In fact, we could wheel down to the pool right now and bob around a bit like jellyfish.”
Jules smiled. “I’ll need someone to help me with a swimsuit. I’m afraid I don’t have any clothes except this dress. And I don’t think I’m strong enough to change on my own.”
Alexander opened his mouth to volunteer but Richard cut him off. “There will be a trainer and a nurse waiting for you. As well as a selection of swimsuits to choose from.” He looked at the doctor sitting next to him. “The doctor will escort you down to the pool while I have a few words with my son.”
Jules rose unsteadily to her feet and then fell awkwardly into her wheelchair. The doc pushed her to the elevator and they were gone.
Richard looked at Alexander. “Stop it, boy,” he said, in as harsh a voice as Alexander had ever heard him use.
Alexander recoiled. He leaned back on the sofa and the smile disappeared from his face. “What?”
“That girl has just emerged from a year-long coma after being beaten nearly to death by an abusive boyfriend. And you sit here making jokes about sex as exercise and were about to offer to help her change into her suit. That is not okay.”
Alexander swallowed as the words sank in. He felt guilty and angry and horrified all at the same time. He was so used to in-game Jules that it hadn’t occurred to him that real-world Jules would be any different.
“Oh my god. I’m… shit. I’m sorry, Dad. I didn’t think. I mean, she has no problems with intimacy in the game and I just assumed… No, that’s wrong. I didn’t even consider. Damn it. This is going to take some getting used to.” He ran his hand through his hair and noticed it was shaking.
Richard’s face softened. “I know you love this girl. And that you’re also a walking ball of hormones right now. Both of you. But take it easy for now, alright?”
Alexander nodded his head, lost in thought. He was reviewing everything he’d said to Jules since she woke up, trying to remember her face and gauge her reactions. He hadn’t seen any sign that he’d hurt her or scared her. But then, he hadn’t really been watching.
“Relax, boy. You haven’t traumatized her that I’ve noticed. Just be careful with her. You’ve got time.” He grimaced as he realized the implications of that statement. Alexander didn’t have a full lifespan ahead of him. At least, not yet. ‘Time’ for his son was still something less than a decade at the moment. “Now, get yourself down to the pool. Are you going to stay out here in the real world tomorrow, or go back?”
Alexander shook his head. “I think stay out? Depends on what Jules wants.”
“Then I’ll leave you alone for the evening. I have some papers for you to review and approve. But it can wait ‘til morning.” Richard got up and walked with his son to the elevators. He pressed the down button for Alexander and the up button for himself. His quarters were upstairs. When the doors opened, he bid his son good night and stepped in.
Alexander emerged from the elevator on the ground level of the tower. The pool was a bit of a walk, and he was already feeling tired. So he took it slow. He waved at the security guard at the desk and made his way down a corridor that led to several of the recreation facilities. There were actually two pools. One indoors, enclosed in solar glass, and the other outdoors with a large deck area meant more for entertaining than for exercising.
He stopped at his locker in the men’s locker room and changed into his swim trunks. They were an impulse purchase on a shopping trip with Sasha. There were dozens of little neon-colored sharks swimming back and forth across the fabric.
Grabbing a clean towel from a stack near the door, he took a deep breath and wandered out to the pool, trying to look casual. Jules was already in the water, as was the trainer. The woman was supporting Jules’ back as she did a sort of awkward arm movement that propelled her slowly through the water. Both women smiled at Alexander as he stepped into the water, but continued what they were doing.
Leaving them to it, he moved to one side of the pool and dove under the water. He enjoyed swimming. It took much of the stress off of his body and allowed him more freedom of movement with less effort. He swam underwater to the edge of the pool and surfaced. Then he laid on his back and let the water support him as he copied Jules and stroked his way across to the other end. He didn’t put much effort into it, just gave his muscles a small workout. He only used his arms, letting his feet trail behind him. After a half-dozen laps, he began to feel a little fatigued, and stood up at the shallow end.
The trainer brought Jules over and had her stand as well. “That was great. You’ve made amazing progress, Jules. I’m proud of you. But that’s enough for tonight. You guys can stay in here for a few minutes, then I want you out. The cool water’s not good for your muscles if you’re not moving. Jules, I’ll be in the locker room when you’re ready. Can you walk that far?”
She nodded and said, “Thank you. If I have any trouble, Alexander will help me. Or we’ll shout for you.”
She reached out and took Alexander’s hand as the trainer left the pool. Pulling him over toward the stairs, they both sat. He coul
d see that she was a little flushed from the exertion of her training session. But she was smiling.
“This is so amazing!” she bubbled with excitement. “I never dreamed my life could be like this, even before my… well, you know. How did I get so lucky?”
He grinned at her, splashing a little water in her direction. “You mean, how did you get lucky enough to land a super-rich boyfriend with his own castle and medical teams and gourmet chefs and access to a whole virtual world where you can kill things with sharp knives?”
“Yep, that’s exactly what I meant,” she laughed.
His eyes unfocused as he thought about the earlier conversation with his dad. “You… you know that we may not have much time together. A few years. That’s the big drawback to the lucky rich boyfriend castle life. It doesn’t last.”
She squeezed his hand. “It’ll last forever.” Standing up slowly, she added, “Stop being such a buzzkill! This is my first night back in the world. Walk me to my personal valet so that I may transform from my current mermaid incarnation back to supermodel. Then we can eat some pancakes. I assume a prince can make pancakes happen?”
He grinned at that. “You are more beautiful than any mermaid or supermodel, my lady. Allow your humble prince to escort you.” He rose himself, his legs only slightly steadier than hers. He put an arm around her waist and offered his other hand to her. Together, they walked slowly but surely across the room to the locker room entrance. From there she used the wall to steady herself as she moved inside.
As soon as she was out of sight, Alexander turned and made his way to get himself changed. After being in the water, his body felt heavier and more awkward. But his heart was soaring.
*****
Lugs woke up to a foul smell that threatened to burn his nose hairs. “Ugh! What died?” A moment later his left arm vibrated and a loud fart echoed off the walls of the stables. He looked down to see Fibble curled in his arm. The smell emanated from his little friend. “What the hell did you eat last night?” he asked. He slowly moved his arm, lowering the goblin to the straw floor as he held his breath. As soon as Fibble was safely down, he rolled away and gasped for air. “Seriously. How does a stink that big come from such a tiny body?”
World At War Page 2
