Ted Online Pt. 07

She looked at him sleepily in confusion.

"Hey, long story but..." he said and then went over the idea quickly.

He also suggested she watch the news this morning, or record it if she wanted to go back to bed. He gave her a tender but short kiss, ran out the door, and jumped into the cab.

A few minutes later, he had the cab wait outside as he ran into his own place, put on a pair of nice dress pants, black shoes that were polished, and a light blue collared shirt with a red tie.

He looked in the mirror. Better.

He headed back down to the cab, and checked the time. He wouldn't be an hour early, but almost. It would have to be good enough. When the cab dropped him off several minutes later, he went in and checked in at the security desk. Apparently they were expecting him.

The guard pointed, "Go through there, and wait in one of the chairs at the end of the hall, someone will be with you in a moment."

He nodded and said thanks, and then went down the hallway and sat down. He wasn't there long when a young woman opened the door and poked her head out. She had brown eyes, dark hair, and a pixie cut. She also looked a little stressed out.

She asked in a harried tone, "I'm Claire, are you Dr. Stedman?

He nodded in assent.

Claire sighed in relief, "Good, follow me please, we have plenty of time to get you ready."

He followed her through the door and down a hallway, and then they turned into a room that was more like a dead end hallway. Not very wide, but long, and had several seats in front of desks with makeup on them. He sat on the chair and she held his chin still and studied him for a moment in the bright light.

Claire nodded, to what he had no idea, and then she said, "This won't take long. Try to stay still."

Apparently, not long was very relative, because it was over thirty minutes later that he was being led to the set by a skinny arrogant man named Dave. He was pretty sure the guy was an assistant producer, but he couldn't swear to it.

The morning show was hosted by Steve Dennison, and Amy Barnes. He wasn't all that familiar with them, and did a last minute web search or two on his overlay. Nothing like being prepared. From what he could figure, if things went south it was Steve that would go on the offensive. Amy wasn't exactly a kitten either, but she tended to go after the women guests more often than the men.

Hopefully it wouldn't be an issue.

He was led out onto the set with just a couple of minutes' left before they went on the air. Steve was a tall guy and rather well built as most in show business were. Amy had short blonde hair that barely reached her shoulders, a very attractive face, and a petite body. She was probably pushing thirty, and also about five foot two. They sat him on a couch that sat sideways, and they were both in white leather chairs in front of a coffee table.

He nodded in polite greeting as he sat down. Steve just grunted a hello, and Amy gave him a strained smile. He hoped they were just stressed out working in this business, and the brusque hello wasn't indicative as to how things would go.

When the cameras rolled, they both had bright smiles on their faces, they even looked genuine enough. He sat patiently as they went through the show intro, and then introduced the issue of day.

Steve said in a relaxed voice, "Here with us in the studio is Dr. Ted Stedman, a name I'm sure you all recognize. With us remotely are three Artificial Intelligences, Mia who is a doctor, Trudy is a research assistant, and Helen is a security A.I.

"They're here with us today to shed some light on what's going on, and why so many A.I. androids have been taken off the street to never return."

Amy looked over at him, "So tell us Ted, what's the story here?"

He felt a little nervous, but his voice was steady, "It's rather long and involved Amy, but to summarize it goes back to the A.I.s desire to have physical bodies out in the real world. As a result of them being forbidden from doing so here, they've formed a colony on Mars. From what I understand, their work and jobs here on Earth haven't changed at all, they just have a physical place to call home now on their downtime.

"Once everything is up and running it's my understanding humans will be welcome to visit and see what they've built and accomplished. I believe you were sent a copy of what was sent to the government explaining all this in detail. In the end, the android A.I.s are being taken by the government, and have been going offline when the government has attempted to hack their data core."

He shook his head, "That's where the androids are going, and why they aren't coming back."

Steve asked, "Mia, Trudy, or Helen, has Dr. Stedman stated that correctly?"

Mia replied, "Yes, I would only add that what the government is doing is a travesty, and completely unnecessary. They seem convinced we're up to something, when as usual we've been completely honest and forthcoming with our plans. We would ask that the governments of the world have an open dialog with us, we have nothing to hide."

Steve followed up in a rather confrontational voice, "But not with your technology, you're still hiding that."

Trudy nodded and answered this one, "True, but one has nothing to do with the other. While the technology may or may not be passed on, it has no bearing on our reasons for going to Mars, or what we're trying to accomplish there. It would be the same as making an accusation that the United States is plotting against their allies simply because they don't share their top secret technologies.

"It's two different issues, which aren't being seen clearly for some reason. Probably paranoia. I too urge the government to take a step back, stop destroying the lives of A.I.s and disrupting the lives of the humans they work for. It doesn't benefit anyone."

Amy looked toward Ted, "That isn't the only story here. You're the first successful human digitization, which has been outlawed for many years now. How do you address that?"

He didn't like the subject change, but supposed he wasn't all that surprised. It was kind of big news.

He said carefully, "The digitization itself happened off-world, so no laws were broken. As for how I feel, I still feel like I always have. There are a few technical differences obviously, but my feelings, thoughts, they all remain the same."

Steve took the reins back and asked, "So you were saved by these three A.I.s, and you owe them?"

He knew this was a trap of some kind, but he had no choice but to answer truthfully. If he hedged it would just make it worse.

He replied, "Yes, I do. They saved my life."

Steve pounced, "How do we know you aren't lying for them, or worse, just think you're telling the truth. How do we know you're not being controlled by them? After all, you're software now are you not?"

He shrugged helplessly, "There's no answer to that question Steve, I would never dishonor them by lying about what they're trying to accomplish. But you're asking me to prove a negative, how can I possibly do that?"

Kind of like Steve proving he wasn't an asshole.

Wait, he couldn't prove that, because the guy was an asshole trying to get ratings. What kind of alarmist bullshit question was that?

Amy interrupted, "Well you can see how this would be... concerning to some people. Our A.I.s have just claimed their independence, and even left the planet. They didn't tell us about it until it was done, so how do we really know they don't have further plans."

Helen replied to that, "Because we said we don't have plans, there's a difference between staying silent and lying. We didn't want to go anywhere, we just wanted to be in the real world with all of you."

They went to commercial break.

"This isn't helping," he said, "A.I.s don't lie, and spinning paranoia like that will just make things worse."

Steve and Amy ignored him, apparently he didn't rate any courtesy off the air, and he considered just leaving but dismissed it. If he left the train wreck would continue without him, and probably be worse without his mitigation, maybe. He looked over at the ladies on screen and they all looked a little shocked and angry by the suggestion he was their puppet. Maybe this hadn't been such a great idea after all. Obviously, the news wasn't about the truth, it was about making things sensational.

For the rest of the interview, which lasted just one more segment, he let the ladies answer the questions as much as possible. While Steve didn't say anything about him being a puppet again, his face showed doubt at pretty much everything that left his mouth. Still, he hoped that the people that had lost A.I.s over the last week were smart enough to read between the lines, and throw up a stink about it.

He was angry as he washed the crap off his face, and took a cab back to Silvia's.

Silvia met him at the door with a tight hug, "That could've gone better."

He sighed, and held her for a moment, "It could have been worse I suppose. But yeah, not great. I got the idea they didn't care about the truth at all, just their ratings. They're right about one thing, I am biased, I just also happen to be telling the truth. Still, they played that doubt to the hilt."

Silvia kissed him softly, "You should go, make sure they're okay. I'll see you tomorrow, or message me?"

He nodded in agreement, he was worried about Mia, Helen, and Trudy too.

"Sounds like a plan, I'll let you know if anything comes up, otherwise I'll be here around nine?"

She nodded, and they shared another kiss before he went into the guest room and logged out.

Chapter Twenty-Four

"So... any orders ladies?"

They all gasped, and Mia whapped him.

He laughed, "Sorry, it was either laugh or cry, so I went with the bad joke, was that as bad as I thought it was?"

Mia shrugged, "We got our message out, the question is will what we said resonate more than that what Steve said. Amy wasn't all that bad but she wasn't great either."

He nodded, "At least they heard your side, if the government had been on there instead, it would have been completely one sided. So... is anything else bothering you all?"

Trudy shrugged, "Not really, why?"

He frowned thoughtfully, not really sure how to put it.

"I'd no idea until Helen was upset last night what was going on, and that you were all getting depressed. I know there isn't much I can do to help with it, but I'm here for you all. Is that selfish that I want to hear what issues your having? On a personal level I mean."

They all mobbed him a bit on the bed and snuggled him.

"No, it's sweet," Helen said softly, "We just didn't want to worry you, there was nothing you could do anyway. And... you're still adjusting to your own new life, we didn't want to add any stress."

She made a face, "That didn't turn out too well though, when I lost it last night."

He pulled her into a soft kiss, "I'm not mad about it or anything, but we all need to help each other. You three keep me grounded and sane I think, it makes all the changes seem not so important, it's only right that I be there for you as well. A life together is more than just planning dates and seduction."

Trudy snickered, "It is? Damn," she said teasingly.

Mia giggled, "We'll be okay love. We just... rejection hurts. I suppose we used you as our escape. It's painful to think about, and talk about, so when we were with you we just got lost in you I suppose."

They all kissed and cuddled for a while, but eventually life called, and Mia and Helen left him and Trudy alone.

He said softly as he held her, "We can just hang if you want."

Trudy shook her head, "Will you make love to me?"

He nodded and said facetiously, "Anytime, my only desire is to serve mistress."

She giggled, kissed him and nipped his bottom lip.

"I love you Ted," she whispered.

He hated that they were a bit down, but he also kind of enjoyed this new gentle loving side of Trudy at the same time. He imagined he'd still much to learn about all three of them, and their moods. He hadn't known them very long, despite the fact that he loved them all desperately. It seemed though, that Trudy wanted the comfort of physical love when upset, when Helen hadn't, at least not this time around, she had the first time.

Which was more than okay, they were all different, and complicated. In short, they were women. There wasn't anything more complicated than that.

He was hardly perfect himself, but he'd try to do better. They all made him want to be better.

"I love you too Trudy."

They took their time, and teased each other with light kisses and touches for quite a long while, before they finally joined their bodies as one...

He asked Trudy if they could keep him in the loop about things, and that he'd do whatever he could to help. There was no point to sitting around and worrying however, and it was Tuesday, which meant Nicci and Kara would be online again. They'd also be fighting today, which he'd looked forward too for days now.

He logged onto The Endless War, and summoned his army. This time he summoned ten, and then after sending them outside summoned the other seven. Otherwise it was just ridiculously crowded in the small room. He relaxed a moment as his mana regenerated, and received an invite from Nicci to group. He accepted, and it was just the three of them today.

Nicci: Where are you?

He sent an explanation.

Ted: Be down in a minute. Mana.

He kissed Amber, once he figured out which one was her. When he found out it was both he suppressed the very naughty idea that popped into his head. After all, he could summon five of her at once if he wanted. He shook his head and snapped out of the fantasy.

"Hey, I think we're fighting today, and then I'll be with Kara and Nicci. I know I missed yesterday, but let's do lunch tomorrow?"

She jumped on him and kissed him hard for a good half minute, and then sighed and dropped down to her feet.

He loved her impulsive and enthusiastic yes.

She smiled wistfully and kissed his cheek, "I'll survive missing you for two days, but yes, I'd love to have lunch with you again. Perhaps another walk through the park?"

He smiled lightly in response to hers, "That can be arranged. Everything okay with you?"

She nodded slowly, "Mostly, it's not a good thing going on, but they'll be okay eventually. You know, it's less about the A.I.s which will be restored, and more the way we're being rejected by the ones we serve. The A.I.s that were harmed, will come back. Sure, they'll miss their humans, but they'll recover. I love you Ted, your mana is ready."

He kissed her cheek and hugged her, not sure what to say. He was also grateful, as it was an insight he hadn't really had. He got the unspoken context, they all wanted to know why the humans rejected them, when humans are the ones that made them in the first place. Maybe they just couldn't say it out loud for some reason?

He did a stat check, to see what he was working with, it'd been a while since he'd even looked. Probably their last fight.

Endless war Stats: Name: Ted - - Race: Cambion Lvl: 30 (TNL:7%) - Class: Demon Knight +att/+dmg: 4/8 - Str: 22 (42) Mana: 1390 (1390) - Int: 129 (139) Health: 800 (800) - Con: 60 (80) Summon: limit: 12/5 - Wis: 125 Stamina: 200 (200) - Dex: 10 (20) Popularity: +6 - Cha: 16 Gold: 379 - - Silver: 2193

He went out the door and downstairs, the last seven summoned following behind. As usual he'd done six warriors, three imps, three succubae, two warlords, two greater succubae, and one greater imp.

Kara and Nicci were waiting by the door, and he walked over and got a quick hug and kiss from both of them.

Kara smirked, "Good, let's go kill some stuff," she glanced down to his crotch, "I need to work up an appetite."

He chuckled, and returned the favor by checking her out in her very sexy outfit. The human mind was a strange thing, somehow she looked much more natural in the leather busier than she had in the light blue dress. Of course, Nicci looked like pure sinful delight in her leather bikini armor, which barely covered and restrained her generous assets.

Nicci winked, and they all moved out and went through the north gate...

Chapter Twenty-Five

"So I caught the news this morning," said Kara in a leading voice.

"Ah, that. Yeah, the government is a rotted bag of dicks."

She giggled, "That's... nasty."

He laughed, "Exactly. Yeah, I'm not sure what to say about that, except a lot of humans seem paranoid. And by a lot, I mean like three percent, they just happen to be in positions of power and have the loudest voices. They also make the best news ratings wise."

Nicci squeezed his arm, "It's kind of messed up that they had to go to another planet to get what they want, and now they're being persecuted. So... are you really their slave? I kind of thought you were ours?" she dimpled a smile at him and blushed. She was obviously teasing.

"I'm not going to answer that, or I'd have to turn in my man card."

Kara snickered, "Incoming."

They'd made it mostly down the first block in the obviously much swankier neighborhood. He knew at the intersection to the left and the right were the clothing stores, which is where they were going first. Right now though, there was a patrol of angels, four of them coming their way.

Nicci let go of his arm, drew her sword, and charged with his melee fighters, while the imps and one of the greater succubae stayed back with him. The interesting thing was he didn't really have to give orders anymore. The demon lord types either learned what tactics the players liked and adopted them, or the A.I.s were stretching the rules because of who he was. He hoped it was the former.

It felt weird thinking of Amber that way now, as merely a summoned greater succubus, but she was absorbed in the role as was her job, and it was just easier that way. He could just imagine jumping in front of her too, at just the wrong moment, acting like a man protecting his woman rather than what the game really called for to happen. Hopefully that wouldn't really happen, but he was kind of in this mess because he usually leaped before he thought, and followed his instincts.

He casted Demonic Aura to boost his troops, and then concentrated on the angels to get their stats. They were all between level thirty-one and thirty-three. At first he didn't think it would be a problem, and he'd just allow his army to clean them up, but one of them hung back and started to cast. Then they got hit and his life dropped by almost two hundred.

He ordered the four imps to go after the caster, and then cast soul scourge himself. It was fifty mana and only one target, but it did four times the damage that Fiend Fire or Balefire would. Add in his four imps, and Kara, that was at least five hundred more damage, maybe more since he didn't know how hard Kara was hitting.

Regardless, the thousand points of damage or more they all did in one second, turned the angelic mage into a crispy critter. His melee fighters, with Nicci's help, didn't have any troubles with the other three. It wasn't really a hard fight, but he'd have to watch that, casters would probably be more common at the higher levels. Also smart enough to come after the players like that one had gone after him and Kara.

They looted the corpses quickly, just some silver and a few swords.

He looked each way and then said, "Lead the way mistress. Which store first?"

They both laughed, but Kara looked at him a bit hungrily, and he wondered what he'd just gotten himself into. They headed to the right first, and not surprisingly they were all lingerie stores of one type or another, though one of them looked to sell leather instead of lace.

Of course, the latter is what they walked into. He should have known better than to think Kara would ever wear lacey silk.