“So, what do we do?” the blond Mitch asked.
“Next please!” a man behind the reception desk called, smiling at them.
Salvi walked up to him, noticing as she got closer that the man’s African-American avatar wasn’t realistic like theirs but drawn as though in cartoon form. He waved his hand in a rainbow arc across Salvi and her data appeared in the air beside her, which the man read. He then did the same to Mitch, and she saw his data scrolling up alongside his face.
“All-access passes,” the man said. “Please use elevator four.”
Salvi glanced at Mitch, then turned and stepped inside the elevator. It rose automatically and pinged when they arrived at their destination. They stepped out and saw another reception desk and another cartoon avatar – this time a blonde Caucasian woman. She wondered if these avatars were in cartoon format for a reason, to clearly distinguish the staff from the paying customers.
Salvi’s data appeared in the air again and the woman behind the counter smiled. “Welcome. This is your first time?”
Salvi nodded.
“You’re in for a wild ride.” The woman winked. “Now let’s just check that your suits are working.” The woman reached out and grabbed at Salvi’s breasts and crotch. Actions that she felt on her real person as the haptic suit contracted in those areas. Salvi managed to contain her surprise.
“You felt that, yes?” the woman asked.
“Yeah,” Salvi said as the woman turned to Mitch’s avatar and grabbed at his crotch.
“Yes?” she smiled.
“Yes,” he said stepping backward from her.
“Looks like it’s all working just fine to me,” the woman said, as both Salvi and Mitch’s data appeared in the air again. “Now, just head down that hallway and pick any room you like. If a door is locked that means you cannot enter and the activity has been classed private. If the door is unlocked, you may go in. There are no restrictions here unless you’ve specified that in your parameters, which all avatars must obey. But it looks to me that you’re both up for anything.” She gave a soft purring giggle. “Although, you’ve both chosen that you like to be dominant, so that should make for an interesting time. Have fun now!”
Salvi and Mitch cast each other a glance then moved down the hallway. The came across the first doorway – an old-fashioned kind with a doorknob. Mitch placed his hand on it and tried to turn, but it wouldn’t budge.
“Locked,” he said.
Salvi nodded and moved across the corridor to the second. This one was unlocked. She glanced at the blond Mitch then opened it.
The room inside was empty except for a floor filled with velvet cushions, satin sheets, hookah pipes, and four or five people mid-orgy. Salvi felt Mitch’s avatar come to stand by hers as he looked inside at the moaning and grinding bodies. She looked back at him, then closed the door and moved onto the next one. He followed silently. The next door opened onto a room that appeared to be a dungeon. Inside were three people: two male avatars tied to posts while a female avatar whipped them hard. Salvi thought about the haptic suit when the female avatar had groped her. If she felt that, then what were these men feeling now? She glanced around the room and saw all kinds of implements. Some of which could certainly cause death in the wrong, over-excited hands.
The woman with the whip looked over at them, then raised her hand and enlarged their data, reading it. “You want in?” she held the whip out to Salvi.
She shook her head. “I’m just watching for now.” The woman moved the whip to Mitch.
“Me too,” he said, as Salvi felt something firm press into her lower back. She glanced over her shoulder to see a male avatar there. She felt her breast squeeze as the avatar’s hand found its way to her front. Salvi pulled the arm off and turned around to see the man’s avatar was naked.
“You’ve still got your clothes on,” he said. “Want me to help you take them off?”
“No,” Salvi said.
He read her data. “I see you like to be dominant. Want to go inside?” he motioned into the room. “You can hurt me.”
“Not right now,” she said.
The man shrugged and looked at Mitch’s avatar. “What about you, handsome?” he groped for Mitch’s crotch.
Mitch knocked his hand away. “Read the data,” he said, and the man began scrolling the text beside Mitch’s face.
“Oh. Heterosexual,” the man said. “Do you know how many men come in here with that parameter, and within five minutes they scrub that section clean.”
“I’m not one of them,” Mitch said, then gave the guy a smile and moved past him.
Salvi followed, deciding to pull back a little now and let Mitch lead the way so she could watch him.
The next room they came upon looked like a classroom. Four people sat at desks watching while an older male avatar had a young male avatar bent over a desk at the front. Mitch closed the door and moved onto the next. Another orgy, this time with voyeurs on the outskirts, in a setting that appeared to be a hospital’s emergency room: doctors, nurses and patients all getting in on the action.
They moved onto the next room. As they opened the door they paused upon finding a church setting. They glanced at each other, then stepped inside. It was empty of people, but they saw a confessional box at the side with its door closed.
“You’ve been bad, haven’t you?” a male voice sounded. They looked around for the owner and found no one. “Get on your knees and pray!” it said. Salvi felt pressure at her shoulder, and suddenly she and Mitch were moving to the front and being forced down onto their knees.
“Dominant demons, hmm?” the voice said. “You must pay for your sins!”
Mitch looked at Salvi. “Is that supposed to be the voice of God?”
“I don’t know. You think maybe Sharon and Tobias discovered this place?”
“Or maybe Kevin?”
Just then the confessional booth opened, and a young priest and nun exited. They saw Salvi and Mitch kneeling at the altar and moved toward them.
“Who wants to go first at confessing their sins,” said the priest, who displayed his data to them. He was using the un-original name “Lover”.
“They’re dominants,” said the nun, reading their data. She moved closer and dropped to her knees in front of Mitch; her data appeared, and Salvi read her parameters. This woman, if it was a woman behind the avatar, was going by the name “Panther” and apparently liked it rough. “I’ve had impure thoughts,” she said to Mitch, sliding her hands up his thighs. “Would you like to punish me?” She leaned forward, pressing her face into his neck.
“No,” Mitch said, taking her shoulders and pushing her back. “Thank you.”
The nun looked back at him with sad eyes. “But you like to dominate?”
“Yes, I do,” he said. “And I’m telling you no.”
“Oh,” she said, moving back from him.
“Can we watch you two then?” the young priest avatar asked. “We won’t touch. We promise. Although you should probably specify that in your parameters next time. This is all-access after all. We just assume everyone is in for anything here.”
The nun nodded. “Maybe they’re just playing hard to get?” She slid a hand up both Salvi and Mitch’s thighs this time. They both looked down at her hands. “Maybe they need a little enticing to warm up and come out of their shells.”
“No,” Salvi said, catching both her hands. “I’m also dominant and I’m telling you he’s mine.”
Both Mitch and the nun looked at her. The nun retracted her hands and smiled.
“Do you come here often?” the blond Mitch asked the nun.
She nodded.
“You ever see a couple of kids in here?” Salvi asked. “She was blonde, he was brunette? They went by initials. SG and TB?”
The nun shook her head. “No. Now, tell me what you would like me to do, dominant.”
“Please do!” the priest nodded eagerly, getting familiar with himself.
“Enjoy
yourselves,” Salvi said. “We were just leaving.” Salvi stood and headed for the door, but Mitch hesitated. She looked back, wondering why he hadn’t followed. He stood there with his back turned and seemed to make an adjustment to the front of his avatar’s pants. He turned back around and moved toward her, probably thankful his avatar couldn’t show his real, most likely abashed, face.
She studied his avatar as it approached her, focusing hard on its face and not letting her eyes drop any lower. Which was a ridiculous thought given it was an avatar. Then again, the avatars did respond to the haptic suits.
“Got a thing for nuns, huh?” she asked as he reached her. “Do you like pure women, Mitch?”
He paused and stared back at her a moment. “No,” he said. “I like the ones who aren’t afraid to let themselves go.” He moved past her. “I’m leaving. We’ve wasted enough time here already.” And with that he walked out the door.
They finished up, silently, left the store and caught the SlingShot back to Bountiful, deciding to split up and check out the different carriages separately. An awkwardness now sat between them, and Salvi wasn’t sure how to handle it. Wasn’t sure whether going into U-Stasis with Mitch had done any good or solved anything in relation to the case.
She kept seeing Mitch drive off with Carly Fresner in her yellow dress. Kept seeing the body beneath that sheet.
But Salvi suddenly realized something. Something that she’d overlooked upon first seeing Fresner’s body, due to the shock of it all. Fresner didn’t look like she’d been dead long. Salvi had seen Mitch with her the previous night. And that was hours ago.
She found a spot in the main corridor and turned to look out the SlingShot’s windows, as she engaged her lenses and put in a call to Weston.
“Brentt, what’s up?”
“Can you confirm the time of death on Fresner yet?”
“Yeah,” she said. “She was in partial rigor mortis when I examined her at the scene, so she hadn’t been dead that long. At a guess I’d say she died sometime between 7 and 9am.”
Salvi felt relief wash through her. Mitch had been in the Raider with her at that time. She swiftly felt a rush of guilt for having suspected him.
“OK. Thanks.” She ended the call and turned to see Mitch approaching her. “That was Weston. She puts Fresner’s TOD between 7 and 9am this morning.”
Mitch nodded. He didn’t appear to share her feeling of relief as he looked out the window at the SlingShot pulling into Bountiful. The truth was, if he’d slept with Fresner, his DNA could still be on her and that would still be a hard situation for Mitch to get out of. Especially with the security cam footage at the station.
He suddenly stiffened, and Salvi followed his line of sight to a group of Serenes and Subjugates working in the station grounds. Some were sweeping pathways, some collecting rubbish, some weeding. Mitch looked back at her. “The Subjugates start work in town at 8am.”
They stared at each other as the SlingShot’s AI announced their arrival into Bountiful. They made their way to the exit and walked down the platform to where the Raider awaited them. As they did they saw Dr Remmell approaching.
With Serene-41.
The Serene wore a hat over his skull hiding his halo.
“Doctor Remmell,” Salvi said, then turned her eyes to his companion. “Serene-41.” The Serene gave a bow and Remmell scowled. He was clearly still angry at her for trying to entrap Subjugate-52. “You’re heading into the city?”
“We’re on private business,” he said, moving around her, but Mitch stepped in his path, blocking him.
“What business do you have in the city?” Mitch asked.
Doctor Remmell turned his scowl to Mitch. “I have a meeting. Is that alright with you?”
“And you’re taking Serene-41?” Salvi asked.
“I would’ve thought that was obvious, Detective,” Remmell said.
“If Serene-41 is going with you, who is watching your Subjugates?”
“We have many Serenes who fulfil this obligation.”
“I thought they were all bound to Bountiful?” Mitch asked.
“They are. However, we must report on our progress to the various authorities and those we report to like to see things with their own eyes. So occasionally I have a Serene escort me to these meetings. It’s good for their development to see the wider world. It is our aim to send them out there eventually anyway.”
“You assured us they never left Bountiful,” Salvi said.
“No, we assured you the Subjugates never left Bountiful,” Remmell replied. “Now if you’ll excuse me, we’re going to miss our SlingShot.”
“Why the hat?” Mitch asked, motioning to Serene-41.
“Why do you think?” Remmell said. He stepped around Mitch and impatiently waved the Serene forward.
“We’ll need the names of who you’re meeting with,” Mitch called after him.
“Talk to Solme,” he muttered, then continued onward up to the platform. They watched them enter and take a seat. All the while Serene-41 kept his eyes to the ground and hands clasped in prayer.
Salvi turned back to watch the group of Serenes and Subjugates working close by. She spotted Moses and Dolles among them. Moses watched the SlingShot as it moved away from the station, then glanced back at them and gave a bow.
“Come on, let’s go,” Mitch said, then continued on to the Raider.
“Before we leave Bountiful, I think we should speak to Kevin Craydon,” Salvi said to Mitch. “I want to ask what he’s doing with Attis Solme, and what he did with Sharon.”
Mitch gave a nod and turned the Raider around.
When they knocked on the door, Tobias answered.
“Hello?” he said, tentatively. “What’s wrong?”
“We’d like to speak with Kevin, please,” Salvi said.
“Kevin? Why?” Tobias’ face paled.
“Yes?” they heard Kevin’s voice behind Tobias.
“May we come in?” Salvi asked him.
“Of course,” Kevin said. “Tobias, let them in.”
They entered the living room and Kevin ushered them to sit. Salvi did, but Mitch remained standing.
“What’s this about?” Kevin asked.
“We’d like to know what your involvement is with the Church of Connectivity,” Salvi asked.
Kevin and Tobias paused a moment at the bluntness of her question, then exchanged a glance before Kevin answered.
“We are spreading the word of God.”
“Isn’t technology against your code here in Bountiful?”
“Yes. In Bountiful. But if we are to combat sin, we must enter the lair of the devil and save whomever we can.”
“So, you use sin, technology, to draw them in?”
“Yes and no,” Kevin said. “We use technology, but it is not sinful technology. The Church of Connectivity deploys Christian technology. Clean technology.”
“So, you’ve never been inside U-Stasis?”
Both Kevin and Tobias stilled.
“I–” Tobias began to blurt an excuse, but Kevin held up his hand, cutting him off.
“We are missionaries, Detectives,” Kevin told them. “Just as our ancestors once traveled to ancient lands to spread the word of God, we in this modern era do the same. However, our journey is to go online. That is where we find the sinners, save them, and bring them to God.”
“Was it necessary for you to travel to the sex rooms in U-Stasis?” Mitch asked, calling his bluff; the warrant hadn’t cleared yet to access any account information.
Kevin looked at him, then averted his eyes, marking a sign of the cross upon himself. “I was tricked. By the devil himself. I met someone at the Church of Connectivity and spoke to them about God and they told me there was a church I might like to see in U-Stasis. I did not realize what it was until I opened the door and entered. As soon as I found out what filth it was I left immediately.”
“You didn’t think anything was strange when you had to set your parameters befo
re entering?” Mitch asked.
“Yes. But I was naïve to technology back then. And, I admit, I was curious. I wanted to see the church. And when I did,” he swallowed and marked another sign of the cross upon himself. “When I did, I realized how vile and sickening and far reaching the devil’s sin was in the city and online. And I vowed to do everything I could to fight it.”
“With Attis Solme’s support?” Salvi asked.
“Yes.” Kevin gave a nod. “It is our vow to destroy sin and bring people back to God.”
“Destroy sin…” Salvi mused aloud.
Mitch looked at Tobias. “So why did you and Sharon go into U-Stasis?”
Tobias paled again.
Kevin looked at him. “I told you never to go in there!”
“W-we wanted to be m-missionaries too,” Tobias stuttered to Kevin. “I know whatever you saw affected you. We wanted to see what it was. We had to see the devil with our own eyes in order to defeat him.”
“But you were seduced by the sin,” Mitch said.
Tobias looked at Kevin, his eyes wide with fear.
“W-we didn’t mean to…” he voice faded. “We were weak.”
Kevin stared at Tobias a moment, before reaching out and squeezing his shoulder. “I feared the devil and his sin had worked his hooks into you both.” Kevin shook his head. “I was wrong to send you into the city so soon, brother. I should’ve known you did not have my strength.”
“Tell me, Kevin,” Salvi said, “how do you feel knowing a Child of Christ has indulged in the online sin you fight to destroy?”
He looked at her. “I am upset the devil has won this battle. But it is only a small battle. We will win the war.” He looked at Tobias. “And Tobias will pray and repent for what he has done. I will make sure of that. I will guide him, back onto the path of the Lord.”
The Subjugate Page 26
