Cheat, page 6
Then, without even thinking about the fact that he might have a guest still, he went to the VR room. It was tempting to have sex, having not done that the night before, but he decided that he needed to be in shape now worse than being fully satisfied sexually. If he was going to be involved in stupid rebellion things, it might come up that running away was important. It probably wouldn’t, but as sure as he didn’t go running regularly, he’d need it. So Mason spoke to the room, setting up what he wanted.
“Um, running program, with some obstacles. Random, natural, rocks, people, animals… Eh…” The program was good enough to work out what he meant, and half a minute later the room flared a bit, then shifted to a rather nice looking and well groomed running path. It looked like it was in a forest, the ground like dirt.
As he jogged, he thought about what was really going on. The room itself wasn’t very big, and the floor, for all it felt nearly correct, was made up of tens of thousands of tiny steel balls. The pad they sat in let them spin, but gave a sense of resistance, too. It wasn’t perfect, but it was close enough for exercise, most days. The set up he had was good, but not absolute top end. For instance, if he wanted to have sex, he’d have to put on the rest of the outfit.
The laser grid would feed him the right images, and it did look right, but there was no way he was going to feel anything other than on his bare feet. He was in his skin tight shorts, but naked otherwise. It was what he did, so hadn’t thought about it when he started.
The run was sedate, to start with. The first thing in the way was just a rock, that seemed to be about a foot and a half high. It was for jumping over, since he hadn’t configured the room for that kind of thing yet that day. If he tried to step on it, there wouldn’t be anything there to hold him up. It was mainly about keeping the run more interesting. The process was, in general, a mind numbing thing. All exercise was. You ran, or lifted things, and did it until it hurt. That made it pretty easy to want to avoid.
There were pills for that kind of thing. Ones that would give you muscle tone, and even add bulk, but he was young, and being that lazy hadn’t made sense to him yet. Later, when he was getting old and staying in shape was hard, then he’d think about it. For now, taking Slimtrix was enough of a cheat to get him through life.
Things sped up, after that. He was still moving at a jog, but the path opened up a bit, leaving what seemed like real holes in the ground. Under him, thousands of feet down, the Earth was a fiery pit. That wasn’t what he’d programmed the room for. The idea that he’d been hacked came to mind then. He was going to stop, but there was a roar behind him.
Looking back he saw two things.
First was a ruby red dragon. It was about the size of a large electric car, and had both fiery breath that hit his flesh with enough force that it had to be the blower fan being brought into play. As it came toward him, the girl on its back, who was wearing a white top and shorts, laughed. That was the second thing. There shouldn’t be a way for her to be up there. Not without a lot of advanced programming being involved. Sam was smart, but that kind of thing took time to put together. No human, not even a good stepper, could have worked it out that fast. Not that Mason knew of.
“Run! Get’em, Fido!”
Then Fido, who apparently was a dragon, if a faithful one, tried very hard to kill him. It wasn’t real, and being an adult, he knew that. Consciously. Deeper down he, like everyone else in the world, couldn’t hope to tell that it wasn’t actually there. It looked like it, and smelled like it too. Thanks to how he’d chosen to dress, not wanting to get his rig all sweaty, he wouldn’t feel the chewing if this beast got him, but a deep part of him couldn’t accept that he wasn’t about to die.
So he ran faster. As if he weren’t in a room designed just to make things seem real, when they weren’t. Mason leaped over the holes that came, and then the rocks, as the giant lumbered behind him. After a few moments he was sprinting, doing his best not to die.
Which lasted until he fell down, gasping after about forty seconds.
Then, instead of the very lifelike monster eating him, or pretending to, it vanished, leaving Sam standing there.
“Mind if I run, too? I need to stay in shape. For my job.” The woman moved in next to him, and started to step, which was horribly disorienting, since the room projected it was moving, even as he didn’t. Gasping, he moved too, not enjoying it in the slightest.
Worse, after a moment she started running, going faster than he’d planned to. It kept going until, thankfully, twenty-minutes later the room shut off, like it was supposed to. It was largely black inside, with the wall lined with laser ports. It wasn’t a huge space, being about ten by ten. The floor locked suddenly, which meant both people took several very real steps.
Sam slapped him on the back.
“Nice. I didn’t know you liked physical stuff like this. We should go hiking sometime.”
Still breathing a bit harder than he liked if people were going to be watching him, Mason nodded.
“Sure. Um, I’m going to go shower. Do you want to do that first?”
The girl lit up.
“Sure, it won’t take long. I called my assistant. She’s going to stop and get something for breakfast. Just so you know to let her in when she gets here.”
He was going to ask what she was talking about, since what was the point of trying to be there secretly if Lexi Horn’s personal assistant was going to show up with a box of donuts. He didn’t get that chance however, because Sam moved out of the room like they had a time schedule. Which, he if no one else, actually did.
Get up, take his meds, exercise, get a shower, then eat something and start his day, at about eight. He was roughly on track, so far. Things would get a bit messed up, having someone else there, but as long as she didn’t mind him working, it wouldn’t be that big of a deal.
Not knowing what else to do, he got his clothing ready for the day, and set it on his dresser top. The wood was real looking, and should be. It was. The one thing he owned that was made of the stuff, he thought.
Then, still in his tight black shorts, that hit him mid-thigh, he padded barefoot out to the living room. The floor, which was mainly bare, and made of building composite two or three, was warm. Slightly textured, but very basic. Plain, really.
Sitting on the sofa was a poor plan, being all gross, and there was food coming. It meant that he probably should have tried for the first shower. He didn’t know how long Sam was going to take, but she had longer hair, and if she insisted on drying it, that might be a while.
There was a sound from the front door, a pounding that was so booming that he felt a thrill of fear. The MCT had come for him, for plotting against the government. The thought came to him, even as he realized how stupid that really was. They might be able to read minds, but it was impractical to read everyone’s all at one time.
Also, if it were the police coming on full hard like that, the door would have been broken open, or exploded. Instead there was just another loud booming sound.
The screen, next to the inside of the door showed the feed. On the other side was a gen-neutral person that seemed to have gotten the idea totally wrong. The man was vastly muscled, and had to be six-six. Most women didn’t look that way. The clothing was very workman like however, and the face was made up at least as well as Sam had the night before. It was mainly green and black, but also clear that the cheeks and nose weren’t really like that. He could see a very faint line under both of them.
Taking a breath, he opened the door slowly.
“Hello? I-” A large hand came out, hit him in the center of the chest, and knocked him back out of the way. It wasn’t really an attack, but the big person moved into the room like they owned the building. Worse it was like he wasn’t the one paying his rent, since the tan covered man, or person, since he was going to try and be polite and honor te’s style and lifestyle choice, not being a prick most days, clearly seemed in charge suddenly. He fell back, and the other form owned the space instantly.
“I’m here for Lexi Horn. I brought food.” The voice was very high pitched. Not fake sounding, but wrong for the body it was attached to. A woman’s sound, which didn’t fit really. Not for the kind of person you saw in real life. Maybe in a virt show. The box in the other hand was pink, and big enough he was happy he hadn’t eaten yet. If he were holding it the thing would have had to have been in both hands.
“Te’s in the shower. Sam is. Is that who you meant?” It was probably silly, trying to cover for the girl with her own assistant, but there was a happy smile as te moved over to the fold out table, which was still out and had chairs under it from the night before.
“Sam. That’s it. Um, I’m Lisa. Nice to meet you.” It didn’t seem like Lisa really was, totally, but there was no hitting, or weapons being pulled, even as she sniffed a bit and stared at him.
Then, he was mostly naked.
“We went for a run. VR. I get the next shower. I’m Mason. Mason Sims.”
Lisa rolled her eyes, then took her heavy tan jacket off, putting the thing on the back of one of the dining chairs, instead of in the closet by the door. When she turned around the green shirt she was wearing did prove that the woman was horrible at the whole gender neutral thing, if not in the way that he’d figured on at first. She had large breasts, and solid abs. Her face was lean too, under the makeup. Then, being surprised that there was a disguise in play was ridiculous, given everything.
Lisa looked around, and gave a somber nod.
“Do you have anything like plates?”
Because he was a guy, he was supposed to not have that kind of thing, which was annoying. Sexism wasn’t dead, it had just changed its name.
“Sure do. Over here. In the kitchen? I keep the food related things there. It’s an idea I dreamed up one night.” Okay, so he sounded a bit snotty about it, but she’d started it. Acting like he ate off of the top of a cardboard box still. He hadn’t done that in years.
It didn’t seem to get to her, and the woman with the green face, and funny hat that clearly had lumpy hair under it, which meant long, set to work putting things out quickly.
He’d figured that it was going to be donuts, or maybe pastries, since what else did a person get when they were out, but it was mainly fruit. From the irregular sizes and shapes it was either from an incredibly high end print place, or real. That was cheaper, and would explain why some of the pears still had little leaves attached.
Three plates were set up, so assistant or not, it seemed that Lisa was expecting to get in on it. More to the point, she expected him to eat, too. It was his place, but that didn’t mean a PA would know that. That she’d cared enough to pick something up at all was nice. Probably part of the job, but still, it was different than he would have thought.
When a plate was handed over, with a pear on it, and two peaches, he smiled.
“Hey, thanks. It looks good.” The pear was a bit hard, but he ate it anyway. It was nearly ripe, which was close enough.
Lisa had a plate that was heaped with food, and sat at one of the chairs to eat, while he stood.
“There’s this produce stand near my place in town here. Did Sam get you up to speed on everything?” The woman ate as if it were going out of style, the manly face passive as she did it. There was a lot of eye contact at the same time.
“The thing where you’re coming here to be my new cook? Yeah. I have to say, it’s impressive. I don’t know anyone with a personal chef. I guess I’m hitting the big time now?” It was all just him being funny, but the woman didn’t respond at all.
Not at first.
“So, she didn’t get you up to speed?”
“How would I know that? You’ll need to ask her.” Mason didn’t want to be a dickhead, but it was a real point. If Lisa was an assistant, then she might, or might not be part of anything else. The whole thing could be a trick, really.
Except that the thing with Lewis Rhyse was real. That man had been hurt, and the business had been trashed pretty well. It was possible that the whole thing had been faked to bring him into the fold, for some reason, or even to frame him for something, but that wasn’t the important part. This was reality, and not VR. It could be hard to tell every now and then, but there were ways to do it, if you paid attention. For instance, he was cool all over, the sweat drying as he waited for a shower. That was a good sign, since it was generally not a thing anyone would have bothered with faking.
Before he got to the end of his meal, which didn’t take long, even if it left him feeling pretty stuffed, Sam came out into the living room. She wasn’t wearing any makeup, but had her buff colored Sam outfit back on. Since she had a bundle of things in her other hand that probably meant she was naked under her clothes.
“Hey. You two met?” Her voice was friendly, that, and warm seeming. The feeling was that she actually wanted him to like Lisa. So far she didn’t seem too bad, over all.
It was a bit strange, having two people there in his place. Three was the biggest number that had been there since he’d moved in, and the other time it had happened it had been the guys from the moving company that he’d hired.
Lisa gave a look that was frank and meaningful.
“We exchanged names. I asked him if he’d been briefed, and he pretended not to know what I meant. So, is he an idiot, or just that good?”
Before he could bother being insulted, Sam chuckled.
“Since he’s probably the smartest person either of us have ever met, I’m thinking we should go with that second one.” She shifted over to Mason, and reached out to pat his shoulder. “Mason is in. At least on the important stuff. More than we were asking for. Not just the disassembler, but some other things we didn’t know we needed. It will change the plans, but in a good way. The cover is a business we’re starting together. Lexi Horn and Mason Sims. I’m doing the bankrolling and public face stuff, and he’ll be providing the designs and first run prototypes. Naturally I’ll be stealing all the credit for it. You’re good with that, right Mason?” There was a silly look on her face, like she was playing with him.
“Heh. Nope. You should be all humble and tell everyone how wonderful I am. It will make you look better. People expect actresses to be vain and glory seeking. Talking up someone else makes you seem kind and genuine. People love that kind of thing.”
There was a half second pause, and then Sam moved to sit in the same chair she’d been in the night before.
“Good point. See, I told you he was smart. So what’s on for today?” This was addressed to him, for some reason. Blinking he glanced at Lisa, and then shook his head.
“Well. Um, I need to get to work. I’ll try to have the lipid product ready to test in three days or so? I should have the, um, disassembler plans ready in a week. The rest will take more time, since some of it will need to start from scratch. There are things involved. Right now, I need to get that shower and start for the day. Um, what do you two have going on?” He was horrible at small talk, he realized. Normally he didn’t notice it, but it was painfully clear suddenly.
Thankfully Sam was a natural in that area.
“Mainly hanging out for the rest of the day. No parties or anything. I can look into getting a business license going? Lisa can stay here with you.”
Mason shook his head.
“Not that I don’t love having company, but no. Sorry Lisa, it’s not anything against you, but it’s going to be awkward going in for VR sex later, with you standing there watching me. Plus, I actually need the time to work.” He sounded rude, he knew. It was the wrong thing to say, and now everyone would hate him.
It was why virt was better. If he messed up like that in there, he could always just go and restart from the last good save point. Lisa shrugged.
“I hear you. It should be safe enough for you to be alone in your own place. I do get the idea though, Lexi. Things seem to be paying off more than you thought they would, and now you’re afraid the troops will swoop in and take him out. That probably won’t happen. If it did, then my being here wouldn’t make a difference. I’m good, but I can’t take out a strike force alone. Do you have anything actionable, or is this just a feeling?”
The actress looked away and then shook her head.
“Neither. I kind of just want to make sure he doesn’t escape. This is big, and I don’t want to blow it now. You have to understand L. We just went from a bunch of people and a pipe dream, to an actual group that has a plan that might work.”
Mason tried to follow along, but then waved and walked out of the room. There was no need for him not to be clean, and his hands were sticky from the fruit. It was annoying, and would eventually get all over the place if he wasn’t careful. Maybe, with luck, the women would leave by the time he came out.
That didn’t happen. He washed quickly, and dressed as if he was going to make up for time that way, only to find both ladies still there, putting on makeup in his white colored living room. White and bright red, to go with the green and black that Lisa had on.
Rather than stand there politely, waiting for the women to finish, which he’d been assured might take hours. Instead he cleared his throat.
“I’m off to work then. I’ll call you when I have the first things ready?” It was what they needed from him, after all.
Sam waited, since Lisa was putting a fake nose bridge on her at the moment.
“Sounds great. Regardless, try to call in at least once a day. If I don’t hear from you, I’ll come and bother you in person.”
“Riiight. That makes sense. Later Sam. Later Lisa.”
“Yup.” The giant muscled powerhouse went back to work without missing a beat.
The work itself was actually a lot more fun than he’d thought it would be. The lipid housing was a bit tricky, and in the end he had to house the stuff inside a matrix of carbon molecules. The rest was surrounded by fat, with the interior space being just about right to cover anything less than ten microns across.
The trick then was that you had to make each kind of vitamin, mineral, or drug singularly, rather than just plugging in a multi tab. It was a bit tedious, but worked.
