by Darrell Bain
* * * *
Lyda got together with Leo and Tepa after the gathering broke up, and as an afterthought, asked Frieda to join them. Frieda had impressed her with the way her mind roved and her agreement that the pleasure rooms were dangerous. Lyda had already discussed the subject with Tepa several times and he had agreed to supervise if Leo decided to participate.
“It's like this, Leo,” Lyda began, trying very hard to convey to the cheerful prodigy how serious she was. “We're losing ground to the pleasure rooms. I can see a time coming when all but a few of us will be spending most of our time there. Anay tells me he's already run across several cases of malnutrition and dehydration because some people who want to dream their lives away won't even come out from under long enough to eat and drink enough to stay healthy. Also, more people are starting to use virtual sexual episodes in place of real sex. If we could get them to stop after a couple of times, it might be a good thing, though I have my doubts. As it is, I can see no good at all in the practice on a continuing basis."
“He also says it is affecting their minds, Miss Brightner. The ones using the pleasure rooms to excess are becoming delusional and unable to react normally to everyday events. Anay is an interesting man. Too bad he doesn't have much medicine to practice; that's his real love.” Leo was the perfect assistant. He used her first name in private but never when anyone else was present. Tepa was the only other person she felt comfortable enough around to get on a first name basis with in private—but others did the same, simply because hardly anyone could pronounce his long, many-syllabled Polynesian name. She had learned over and over how much a simple title such as “Miss Brightner” made people listen more attentively and follow her orders with less resentment.
“Yes,” Lyda agreed. “Tepa and I have talked about this effect, and what we can do to reverse the trend toward the use of the pleasure rooms, despite all our warnings."
“And you want me to help. I can tell that much but not exactly what you have in mind. Clue me in."
“We think there must be some way to use them for simple entertainment while toning them way down. Perhaps even find a way to use them as teaching machines."
“Hmm. I think I know what you want. Use them like movies or interactive games, or educational television, but without all the intense emotional involvement. Have you any ideas about how to bring this about?"
“No, I don't. Neither does Tepa. Frieda?"
“I tried the dream rooms several times before becoming aware of the danger inherent in them. I wasn't as smart as you, Miss Brightner. I almost lost myself in fantasies of home and family."
Lyda smiled at her. Frieda had picked up on the use of her title immediately and pronounced it in a manner so natural, anyone would think she had been working for Lyda for years.
“Yes, but do you know of, or think you might know of any way to ameliorate the fantasies?"
“I haven't given it any thought. Quite frankly, the idea hadn't occurred to me. I can see why you would want that, though. Suppose I talk to Leo about it and see what we come up with?"
“Include Tepa. I want him to monitor anything you decide to try. And only Leo is to carry out the testing. He's the only person I know that might have a strong enough mind to resist the siren song of the rooms."
For once, Leo lost his infectious and cheerfully grinning expression. “Why do I suddenly feel like a mouse in a maze? Never mind, I'll do it; but can I have Anay along as well to monitor my mental state? I know he's not a coconut doctor, but he knows more about how the mind works than anyone else around here."
Frieda howled. “Coconut doctor! I love it! Never have I heard a psychiatrist called that!” She laughed so hard that her heavy breasts shook, despite her perfectly fitted bra.
Lyda had to laugh, too. She hadn't heard the term either.
* * * *
Three days later, Tepa came to see her looking very solemn. He seated himself by Lyda in the corner of the Central Square Lyda had reserved for conversations with council members. Every time she sat down on one of the benches, she was appreciative of how much more comfortable it was than the ones on earth. There was really no comparison. She squirmed with contentment as it adjusted to her contours.
“We're ready,” he said simply.
“Tell me about it."
“There's really little to speak of yet, Lyda. We have decided on how to begin and proceed. However, if a few of our ideas work out, we will probably have to involve Frieda in the testing as well as Leo."
“Is she agreeable?"
“Reluctantly, but she is willing if it becomes necessary."
“Is there anything you can tell me about what you'll be doing?"
Tepa debated, then shook his head. “I could, but it would probably be wasted conversation, since much of what we will do will depend upon initial, very careful and limited testing of our first ideas. Leo's ideas, mostly. If they work, we can go farther. If not, we have other options under consideration."
“Is there anything I can offer to help you?"
“Only allow us to be alone for as long as two weeks in a secluded area. We want to go slow and have no curious bystanders, especially any who might think we are using the tests simply to gain approved time in the pleasure rooms."
“I guess I can do without you for that long, though it won't be easy. But secluded? There's no such place here."
“No, of course not. What I meant is that we will travel some distance, so it isn't likely we will encounter any of our people. Frieda has an excellent spatial memory and sense of direction. She will tell you where we will be and exactly how to get there in case you need to fetch us home. You'll have to memorize it."
“That's no problem.” For all the comforts and amenities of the fairy city, no one had yet found any writing or reading material. It was like the aliens wanted them to have nothing to do but indulge their every desire in simulations well nigh impossible to tell from reality—except the pleasure rooms provided emotional experiences and sexual involvement more intense than the real thing. That, Lyda knew as a certainty, was the ultimate danger of the rooms.
“Good, then. We will leave first thing after we wake up and have eaten. Here is where we will be in case of emergency."
Tepa related the location to Lyda very slowly, along with the route to get there. It included many turns and seemingly roundabout pathways but Lyda fixed it in her mind and repeated the directions perfectly. She knew she could have memorized the material just as easily had Frieda spoken rapidly.
Tepa nodded that he was satisfied.
The next morning, Lyda saw them off while most of the group were just getting up and around. All she could do after that was count the days and hope they would come back safely and with their minds intact.
* * *
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
Surprisingly, Lyda saw the three return in less than a week. They looked sleepy but Leo was grinning like an impotent man who had just discovered the virtues of Viagra. The others appeared to be pleased, but Lyda reserved judgment. She couldn't help but be suspicious of the insidious power of the pleasure rooms; it was possible they had all been seduced by some illusion not yet encountered, despite her strict instructions that Tepa was not to indulge under any circumstances. She wanted one completely impartial witness.
When Tepa saw Lyda wasn't reciprocating their enthusiasm, he waved his hand negligently. “It's all right, Miss Brightner. We found the key. And so simple, too. Wait, let me rephrase that sentence. Leo found the key. Any of us might have done so eventually, but trying for it would have been a very great risk."
“Let's go to the council bench and you can tell me about it. Do you want me to send for a meal?"
“That can wait. Sleep is what we need more than anything, but I know you are anxious to hear of our success."
“I'm even more anxious to know if it can be applied to everyone."
Tepa's smile faded, though Leo's and Frieda's did not. She soon found out why.
L
eo took the lead by first describing how a person could use the pleasure room as a teaching tool. A person with a good enough grasp of a subject could tie into the screens by simple concentration, then project the simulation to an audience, being very careful the other participants were unable to see into the depths of a screen themselves. In that way, the intensity of the simulation was diluted, yet the verisimilitude was maintained.
“The same thing applies to the preprogrammed fantasies. One person with a strong mind can access the simulation and dilute it to intensity levels low enough to keep the watchers from becoming addicted. We would have been back a day earlier, but we took the extra time to see if more people in the chain made a difference. They didn't. The first dilution the originator performs is good for any number of people."
“How about personal fantasies? Can they be diluted also?"
“That's the rub,” Frieda admitted. “Personal simulations involve the initial contact person so intimately that they forget where they are. Before you know it, the audience simulations will fade and the person supposed to be directing it gets the full intensity. Leo could manage it, but I couldn't."
“I suspect if I did it often enough, I'd find myself losing concentration also,” Leo said. “I couldn't find a way to avoid becoming involved in personal simulations over a long period of time. After half an hour or so, I could feel my concentration slipping and had to break it off. Everything else is fine, though."
Lyda ran her fingers through her freshly washed hair. Since settling down in the city, she had begun letting it fall naturally around her shoulders rather than pulling it back in a ponytail or braid. She was finding that she wanted to look attractive, whether she was involved with anyone or not—but so far, she hadn't found a man in the city who interested her.
“So what you're saying is that we'll be able to use the pleasure rooms with audiences for entertainment and teaching, but the lure will remain?"
Leo shrugged, but still held his grin. “That's the gist of it, Miss Brightner. Good news and bad news. Honestly, after sampling the pleasure rooms on my own a couple of times before meeting you, I was doubtful we could accomplish even this much."
“Would more experimentation help?"
“I'll do it if you ask me to, but frankly, I'm fearful of going much further. I got a sense of danger lurking in the illusions, behind the lure, so to speak."
“If you say you're scared, then everyone else should be. It's not as much as I hoped for, but more than I expected. Let's declare victory and go home."
That brought laughter enough and then some.
* * * *
Lyda let it be known she wanted everyone who could to attend the informal evening meeting. Word spread rapidly that her two chief assistants had returned with important information about the pleasure rooms. By the time everyone who intended to listen had gathered, Lyda got the impression from the crowd that many of them were hoping she had found some way to let them use the pleasure rooms as they were.
She asked Leo to explain.
Leo was clearly not as used to speaking in public as she was, but he did an adequate job. Most of the community already knew the high regard Lyda held him in, but there was still disappointment evident in their faces and attitudes as they listened to him.
Lyda did her best to allay the regret. “The pleasure rooms can be used now, in a limited fashion, but I am emphasizing again in very strong terms how dangerous they are. Only selected individuals will do the entertaining and education. I know it won't be as intense as individual simulations, but it will be infinitely safer—and still much better than anything we had on earth. Let's remember that part and be grateful. Thanks to Leo, we have a wonderful tool now for teaching and learning and group entertainment. Leo and Frieda have also volunteered to start the first classes from the pleasure room here in the square tomorrow, after we have a bit of work done that will keep other screens from distracting you.
“I'm going to step aside now and let the three council members who risked so much answer questions. We'll have another meeting tomorrow night about classes. At that time, we'll let everyone know about other classes and when entertainment will be scheduled. We will all be open for your suggestions as to what kind of classes and ... movies, I guess we can call them, you want to participate in. Thanks."
Lyda nodded and smiled at her audience, then stepped down from the bench that was used as a podium for speakers. She forced herself to stay until the meeting broke up many hours later. She spent all the time absorbing the thoughts, desires and hopes of her people. She wished she could do more for them, but this was certainly better than nothing.
She stopped Leo before he left to thank him again.
“Ah, I didn't do much. That sort of thing was a hobby of mine anyway. Did I ever tell you I wrote the software and designed the characters for Broken Arrow?"
“You did that game? I loved it, but Mom and Dad thought I wasn't old enough for it. I only got the chance to play it once, at a friend's home."
To her astonishment, Leo blushed. “Uh, thanks,” he said. He looked as if he wanted to tell her more about the game, but then nodded and hurried away.
Lyda thought she knew why. Broken Arrow was designed for mature teenagers and didn't stint on sex or nudity, though it was all tastefully done. She also knew now that Leo had put her on a sort of pedestal in his mind, a place where he hadn't imagined her as a sexual creature. He obviously did now, though apparently, it had just begun. She started thinking of some way to derail the heroine worship she knew would turn into sexual longing on his part if not stopped soon. As brilliant as he was, and despite being older than her by a year or two, she knew she was far more mature. Her body was certainly ready for sex, but she was hesitatnt. After the last two episodes, she didn't want to commit to a man, simply because she knew that the aliens would come again and they would inevitably be separated. She still thought of Gavin, too, in the nighttime fantasies all young persons are prone to indulge in. She tried to be realistic about the ones she had, knowing they were driven by the hormones building rapidly toward adult level in her body.
* * * *
Lyda was disappointed more people didn't opt for the classes and audience participation in the several pleasure rooms she set up for the purpose. The majority did, but far too many showed little interest. Those people gradually drifted away, despite all she could do. She was certain they simply migrated to another part of the city where no one was around to make them feel guilty and became lost in the rooms, where they could satisfy every longing or fantasy imaginable.
The explorers she sent out in wider and wider searches from Central Square still brought back new members, but those grew fewer and fewer, as did the wanderers who stumbled upon her community by accident. None of them ever reported more than a dozen or two people associating with each other. The situation reminded her of postwar eras she had heard about from others, where after fierce battles, returning soldiers wanted nothing more than to sample the pleasures of life they had been missing. It was different in that most soldiers eventually tired of all play and no work and returned to productive lives, but this was a unique paradigm. No soldiers or citizens suddenly released from wartime constraints had ever been subjected to such a plethora of consumer necessities and such easy access to ecstatic bliss and instant gratification.
It was frustrating, for Lyda found herself spending more time trying to keep her community functioning amidst plenty than she ever had in the previous, harsher environments. One thing that kept her happy was attending Leo's technical and science classes and Tepa's renditions of Pacific Rim history and economics. Learning in the pleasure rooms stretched the mind in a way no simple lecture or reading ever could. Some days, her head fairly buzzed with the effort to integrate all the new facts and theoretical speculation she absorbed.
It was during the sleep periods that Lyda found herself lying awake for hours sometimes, wondering if she was ever going to love again. She felt the need for sexual release, like
a captured fox pacing its cage, but she was determined she wasn't going to feed it with just any old applicant. If there was anyone on the horizon, it would be Leo, she thought. He was maturing very rapidly now and a union with him no longer seemed like such a stretch. Given a little more time, she thought she might initiate a romance with him and see what developed. Even as it was, she found herself gravitating toward him more than anyone else. His capacious mind fascinated her—and his body had grown into a prime example of young male vitality and muscular maturity.
Lyda walked with him after the evening meetings more and more frequently. They began holding hands, then kissing goodnight. So far, it's good, she thought. I like him. And I may as well admit it; Gavin is gone, Tsing is dead and the aliens may return any moment. For all I know, this might be my last chance to enjoy loving a man. She decided Leo was the one, but she wasn't going to spoil the union by trying to hurry it along.
* * * *
There was no advance notice nor precipitating crisis that gave warning. The spider mechs simply appeared all over the city one day, and began their brutal roundup of the human inhabitants. It happened so suddenly, with the mechs in such numbers and so ferocious, that she barely had time to grab her backpack by one strap and part of her pile of clothing with the other. She had just gone for a long swim with Leo and they were resting by the edge of the big pool in the central square.
Lyda was wearing a minimal bathing suit, a skimpy two-piece. They had come into vogue, along with other fashions once the community settled into a routine, but it was haphazard. Most of the people had suffered in environments where body modesty was the least of their concerns. Lyda sometimes wore the suit when she was swimming for exercise or pleasure and always when she was with Leo, knowing how the sight of her nude body might affect him—while thinking it probably wouldn't be much longer until he could look at her as much as he wanted.
