Virtual Life Experience Pt. 05

Author's Note: For my faithful readers, sorry for taking so long to produce the last chapter. For anyone new to the series, I suggest you read Parts 1 – 4 first, so you understand the full story. Enjoy.

*****

Antola

Brandon braced for impact. He had been over the statistics a thousand times. With the upgraded transport pods that had been developed specifically for this trip, Virtual Life Experience Corporation's (VLEC) simulations had indicated a survival rate of 95%. Those odds had sounded acceptable when the trip was in the planning stage, but now he was in a panic.

He felt the high G deceleration as the pod entered the Antolan atmosphere and descended toward the surface. It seemed to last an impossibly long time, but suddenly it was over and everything was still. A moment later, he heard a horrific crashing sound which made him jump, but he felt nothing, which seemed odd. Lights came on in the pod and various monitoring data began displaying. Everything seemed normal and matched the simulations he had run until he had them memorized.

Almost automatically, he reached out and released his restraints and pressed the "hatch open" button. There was a slight hesitation, a wooshing sound and the access hatch swung open, providing a view of the bright blue sky and introducing a wave of sweet, heavy Antolan air. Brandon cautiously raised his head out of the pod.

VLEC had done a good job of executing the landing on this remote planet. He looked out over miles of grassland, which he recognized from the Virtual Life Experience (VLE) sessions he had experienced via Jason. He knew that he was within a several day's walk of the mission's destination.

Brandon was part of a scientific expedition to make contact and study the first intelligent extra-terrestrial life that human-kind had encountered. This alien life form had been discovered by two convicts who had been deported from Earth to Antola for their alleged crimes.

The deportation of Jason Conrad and Nikki "Red" McKenna was part of a joint venture between the justice department and the virtual reality empire VLEC. The program, funded by VLEC, provided for the possibility of off-world deportation as punishment for dangerous criminals. In exchange for funding and executing the deportation, VLEC was permitted to instrument the convicted with thousands of sensors and sell the resulting virtual reality programming to the public, along with the necessary equipment to translate the signals from the sensors into a mind-blowingly realistic experience for the customers.

VLE suits, or at the high end, VLE chambers were now as pervasive in the public as televisions had been a century previously. The chambers, particularly, delivered an amazingly accurate and immersive experience.

VLE was available from many other subjects besides deported convicts. It had proven to be an exceptional tool for training of physical skills, as you could experience exactly what it felt like to be an expert performing the skill. Not surprisingly, it was also popular with the porn industry. Now anyone could experience virtual sex with a porn star that was almost indistinguishable from the real thing. An interesting side effect was that this had all but killed the "oldest profession." Prostitution was nearly extinct.

Still, the drama of experiencing exploration and survival on an uncharted planet resulted in the highest selling genre of VLE. VLEC quickly realized that certain deportees could generate much more interest, and therefore profit, than others. Sex appeal was a big player in this. This realization led to corruption, where the corporation, in conjunction with the justice system, hand-picked individuals based on sophisticated profitability simulations and then ensured they would be convicted and sentenced to deportation.

Nikki and Jason had been falsely convicted and unjustly sentenced to deportation to Antola. They had become the most popular VLE subjects of all time, by far. The two of them were exceptional survivalists, very attractive and perhaps most importantly, regularly engaged in passionate and athletic sex with one another. In addition, Antola had turned out to be an exciting and exotic location, with dangerous predators, incredible natural beauty and now intelligent extraterrestrial life.

Jason and Nikki had discovered the alien being, whom they dubbed "Purple" living in a fluid filled cylinder in a glass-like building. Purple was presumably not a native resident of Antola, given her reliance on this fluid environment. She had the ability to pilot a mech when she wanted to move outside the structure. Purple looked vaguely like an octopus, but with just three arms. Unlike an octopus, though, the three arms were jointed. They ended in flattened pads with sparse black bristles on them. Purple was normally a dull gray, but would take on other colors with her moods. She tended to glow purple when greeting the humans, hence the name Nikki had given her. Purple did not speak and had no discernable eyes, ears or mouth, but was able to transmit emotions through the cylinder wall to a human touching it.

Upon the discovery of Purple, the International Space Exploration Association (ISEA) partnered with VLEC to plan and execute the scientific expedition of which Brandon was a part. Brandon and a number of other personnel on the expedition were fully instrumented for VLE and had signed over the rights of the virtual reality signals to VLEC for sale to the public.

Unbeknownst to the members of the expedition, events on Antola had gotten even more intriguing while they were in transit to the remote planet. Purple had generated a human clone of Nikki from her DNA to serve as an interpreter. The clone was physically identical to Nikki, with the exception of coloration. The clone had bright blue hair and freckles. The deportees, not surprisingly, had dubbed her "Blue." Blue had a telepathic connection to Purple, but had to learn speech and language to communicate with the other humans. She proved to be highly intelligent and learned rapidly. Her natural curiosity led her to explore other aspects of her humanity. She took particular delight in discovering her sexuality.

Brandon exited the pod. Turning away from the open grassland, he was faced with a sheer wall of rock some 100 yards behind the pod. The source of the crashing noise was evident. Another transport pod had overshot its intended landing point and smashed into the cliff. The pod had been flattened by the impact and fallen to the base of the cliff. Smoke rose off the wreckage. Brandon's stomach turned as he approached and realized that the dark red streaks at the lower end of the crumpled access door were the liquefied remains of the occupant draining out of the no longer sealed pod.

Pod 17 – Brandon checked his list and realized it was the transport for Dr. Richard Davis. He turned away. There was nothing he could do. It didn't look like there would be any equipment that could be salvaged from the pod and he didn't think he could stomach verifying that assumption.

He gathered his equipment into a backpack and holstered a laser blaster to his hip. He had never had a use for a weapon before and despite several weeks of training felt very uncomfortable with the idea that he might have to use it.

Looking around, he could see most of the other transport pods off in various directions. Some human figures could be seen moving about the pods or already headed across the grassy plain. As instructed, he turned on his GPS unit and began heading toward the predetermined coordinates of the muster point.

He heard a distant growling noise and was happy to see that the terrestrial transport vehicle (TTV) had survived the trip and was being piloted toward the muster point as well.

Ahead and to his left, he could see a member of the team about a half mile away. The figure seemed to be angling to cross his path. A while later, Brandon realized the individual had stopped and was waiting for him. As he got within 200 yards, he realized it was Dr. Shannon Chen. Two emotions hit him in quick succession.

The first was relief that his ex-girlfriend, whom he still had strong feelings for, had survived the trip safely. The second was apprehension as he realized that he would need to break the news to her of her new boyfriend's death.

"Brandon . . . good to see you are OK."

"You too, Shannon."

They shared a quick, awkward embrace.

"Have you seen Rich?" asked Shannon.

Brandon tried to control his emotions, but tears quickly sprang to his eyes. He lowered his head quickly, but not quickly enough.

"Brandon! What is it?!" Shannon reacted in alarm.

"Shannon, it was awful. His pod crashed into the cliff . . . he didn't make it."

She stood still for a moment, horror registering on her face. Then she whispered, "Did you open the pod and actually see the body?"

"Shannon, it was no use. The pod was flattened . . ."

"You left him for dead without confirming?! How could you do that? I know you hated him, but . . ."

"No, listen to me, there is no way . . ."

Shannon turned and began to run toward the distant cliff. "Fuck you! He could still be alive! Maybe you let him die!"

Brandon ran after her and grabbed her arm, turning her around. "Listen . . . he's dead. No one could survive that crash. It is dangerous to head back that way alone. There is nothing you can do . . . trust me."

Shannon glared at him momentarily through her tears, then suddenly she was in his arms, squeezing him tightly and sobbing into his shoulder. Brandon wasn't sure what to do. Eventually he wrapped her in his arms and patted her back. They stayed this way for what seemed like a couple of minutes. Brandon felt his loins stir as his body reacted to hers, despite the situation. He prayed that she did not notice the stiffening of his groin against her.

She pulled away with a bit of a reproachful look, then said, "OK, let's head to the muster point."

They traveled together for another two hours. Another figure approached them from the right. Even as he got close, Brandon did not recognize him.

"Mind if I join you two?" the man asked as he got within 50 yards of them.

"No problem," answered Brandon. "Headed to the muster point?" he asked unnecessarily.

The man opened his mouth to respond, when all hell broke loose. He suddenly lurched forward as two spikes erupted from his chest in a spray of blood. Shannon screamed and Brandon realized the spikes were talons connected to a large winged creature that had swooped down from above . . . an antoladactyl. Brandon grabbed Shannon and threw the two of them to the ground as the winged beast dragged the man over them and began to climb back into the sky.

Brandon rolled over and pulled his laser pistol out. He aimed at the retreating monster and pulled the trigger, but nothing happened. Shannon jumped up in front of him and raised her own pistol, firing off several shots. One struck the antoladactyl in the back and it screeched angrily and dropped its prey. The man fell 20 feet to the ground with a thud and lay motionless. The winged monster wheeled around and entered a shallow dive heading straight for them. Again, Brandon raised his pistol, but it wouldn't fire. Shannon's laser pistol found its mark several times, but did not seem to alter the great beast's trajectory. "Dammit, Brandon, release the fucking safety!"

"Oh fuck! That's what's wrong!" he thought. In a panic, he fumbled with the safety catch, but it was too late, the antoladactyl was nearly upon him. Once again, he dove to the ground to avoid being plowed over, taking Shannon with him. He felt the talons graze his back, tearing at his shirt, but the winged beast flapped away this time and didn't turn back.

The two scientists scrambled back to their feet and ran to the fallen man. He lay crumpled in a pool of blood, his lifeless eyes staring skyward.

Again, Shannon was overwhelmed and embraced Brandon for comfort. "Oh god, it's awful."

This time, she pushed him away after a few seconds. "What the fuck, Brandon, didn't they teach you how to use that fucking thing?"

"I forgot about the safety," Brandon replied sheepishly.

Arizona State University, Earth

Mario awoke in his dorm room before dawn. He shivered. Marcella had stolen his blankets again during the night. Despite the temperature outside, the dorm AC was finicky, sometimes not working and sometimes working a little too well. This morning it was chilly in the room.

He grabbed the edge of the blanket and gently tugged, trying to free some covers for himself without waking her. Marcella stirred and rolled onto her back, freeing the blanket. It slid down so one of her shapely breasts was uncovered. A softly curved mound of perfect, almost glowing caramel skin topped with a large brownish pink areola and a long nipple that stiffened in the cool AC.

Mario gazed mesmerized and felt a tingling in his groin as he began to stiffen involuntarily. He was always so amazed that she was his girlfriend; she was such a sexy beauty. Almost without thinking, he pulled the blanket down further, his desire rising as each additional square inch of flesh was exposed. Soon her other breast popped free. Still, he continued to tug. His eyes devoured her. He stopped with the hem of the blanket just tantalizingly covering her pubic mound. Her narrow trail of pubic hair disappearing under the fabric. He reveled in the anticipation for a moment.

Mario reflected on her transformation of late. When he first met her, he actually thought she was demure. That was probably always an incorrect first impression, but lately she had become more and more sexually adventurous, to the point where she had confessed to him that she was a little frightened of what she was becoming. For his part, he loved the wild child she had become. He did not want to get off the roller coaster. If others pegged her as a slut, fuck them. He loved her as she was. She loved sex in lots of different manifestations, what was so wrong about that?

Mario gave in to the temptation and slid the blanket down to her upper thighs.

Suddenly, Marcella opened one eye and gave him a sly smile. "You don't think I know what you're up to, you pervert?"

"Pervert, eh? Would you want me any other way?"

"No, I want you in every way . . . right now. Stop staring and start ravaging my body. God, I'm so horny right now."

Mario grinned and moved in to cover her lips with a kiss. Their tongues danced briefly, but he was perplexed when she backed away and pushed him up with her hands on his chest. He looked at her quizzically.

"Wait here, I have a surprise," she said. She slid out from under him and off the bed. His heart quickened . . . a surprise from her was likely to open a whole new world of adventure. He watched her tight brown buttocks rise and fall as she crossed the room. She still had the tight body of the gymnast she had once been. She had put on a few pounds since those days, but those only made her look more womanly and sensuous.

She grabbed a canvas bag she had left by the door and retreated to the bathroom. When she came out a few moments later, it was obvious what she was up to. He drew in his breath involuntarily in excitement. She emerged wearing a shocking blue wig, a pair of shorts and boots that perfectly matched those of Blue, the clone girl on Antola, whose adventures they had been experiencing via weekly Virtual Life Experience (VLE) sessions. Marcella had even drawn bright blue freckles on her skin to match Blue.

This was going to be one fun role-play.

"Blue is naughty . . . Blue knows Jason is Nikki's man, but Blue wants to touch Jason anyway," Marcella said in a naughty little girl voice. She spoke in the peculiar third person manner that Blue had adopted with her fledgling language skills. Something about Blue's innocence juxtaposed with her emerging sexuality was incredibly arousing. Marcella had studied well.

Mario responded in a voice thick with desire, "Jason is feeling naughty, too. Come here and let me teach you about sex."

"Will Jason make Blue have . . . or . . . orgasm? Blue likes orgasm . . . Blue loves orgasm."

"I can do that . . . don't tell Nikki."

Mario slid off the bed and slipped his arms around Marcella's waist. He met her lips eagerly. Their bodies melted together, every curve of hers seeming to fit every valley of his. They kissed passionately. Marcella moaned a little as she rocked her hips against him.

Mario had made love to Marcella countless times, but this time, the role play made it seem brand new. He was harder than he remembered being in a long time. He broke off the kiss and moved to the side of her neck, sucking just below her jawline. She let out a louder moan.

Marcella reached down and wrapped her hand around his cock. "Jason is so big and hard. Is Jason going to push it inside of Blue?"

Mario chuckled and reached his hand down and slid it into her shorts to the soft folds between her legs. She was obviously aroused. Her juices were already dampening the shorts. "Blue needs to be patient, we will get to that."

"Blue doesn't like patient . . . Blue wants to fuck. Blue is scared, but Blue wants it now!"

"Trust me, I will make you feel good."

"OK, Blue trusts Jason," she whimpered in a tiny voice.

Mario pulled Marcella back toward the bed. He worked his way down her neck and shoulders, kissing each painted on blue freckle. He sat down and pulled her close, taking a nipple into his mouth and sucking while he unbuttoned her shorts and slid them off.

"Oh! Blue feels good. That makes Blue tingly down there . . . and wet. Why is Blue wet?"

"That means you're aroused."

"Blue likes aroused."

"Mar . . . uh, Jason likes aroused too."

After working on her breasts for a while, eliciting satisfying oohs and ahs, Mario began working lower. As he approached her pussy, he did a double take. She had even managed to color her landing strip blue.

He worked his tongue closer and closer to her pink fleshy folds. Marcella squirmed and let out little squeals. "Blue likes Jason's tongue . . . Blue loves Jason's tongue. Feel so good . . . so FUCKING good!"

Mario dove into her pussy, lapping up her juices eagerly. Marcella ground her hips and started panting. When he found her clit, she cried out and grabbed his hair, pressing his face hard into her. He rolled her clit under his tongue firmly. Juices began to gush out and Marcella cried, "So fucking good! Blue have orgasm . . . FUCKING GOOD orgasm. Ohhhh!"

Mario licked her juices up furiously, keeping her at an orgasmic high for as long as he could. Her knees buckled and he grasped her ass to hold her up. "Oh GOD Mario!" she broke character briefly, then caught herself. "So good, Jason. Blue feels so good."

"Is Blue ready to fuck?"

"Um . . . Blue is scared, but Blue is ready. Blue trusts Jason."

Mario turned her around so she was facing away from him and pulled her ass toward him. He grasped her by the hips and slowly lowered her until her pussy was just touching the tip of his cock. She felt so hot against him. He lowered her a little more and her pussy resisted. Then the head was in. "Oh! Blue feels good again. Push it in! Please?!"

Suddenly, though, Marcella reached back, pushed off his six-pack abs with her hand and stood up.

"Wait . . ." she said in a firm voice, then as if in answer to herself, she whimpered, "But Blue doesn't want to wait."

Mario was confused as Marcella retreated to the bathroom again. She was gone for a minute or so. What the hell was she up to now? He wanted so bad to fuck "Blue." This role play was driving him crazy.

Marcella burst out of the bathroom with a look of fury on her face, a mass of copper red curls cascading over her shoulders and even red pubic hair. "What the fuck are you doing, Jason? You are mine . . . get her the fuck off you. You can't fuck Blue, you dirty bastard! Your fucking cock is mine!"