The following is a bit of alternative fiction based on certain characters from the Xenaverse. It is not meant to infringe on anyone else's rights.
It could get easy to think that all I ever think about is sex, but that's not the case. I had other things to occupy my attention besides my obsession with Joni or the occasional physical reaction to Mel's doppleganger. I had, after all, a job to do.
I knew it was going to be an interesting day as soon as I stepped off the elevator and onto the blue floor. I'd actually decided to go home the night before. We'd been at this now for months and now We were hitting points where breaks were called for. I was feeling the need for fresh scenery. Bradford and Jeffrey had committed to staying overnight, but I just couldn't. I needed a movie. I needed a shower. I needed to sleep naked.
"Mornin', boss," Jeffrey Isakoff called out as I drifted into our shared suite. His feet were upon on his desk and his hands in some electronic thingy. There was an espresso at his elbow. "We've been waiting for you," he said jovially as he pointed the gizmo in my direction.
The digital clock on his desk blinked 8:49 a.m. 'I knew I shouldn't have come in early,' I groused to myself as he handed me the piece and pointed me in the direction of a panel. Maybe if I'd been late he would have tried working it himself. I sighed and smiled. I was just grateful that I'd smartened up and demanded slacks instead of those skirts. The skirts looked good, but they simply weren't practical, not for the kinds of things I was ending up actively participating in.
It seemed, that *I* was just the right size to fit into some of those smaller spaces. I had to grin at the image of Jeffrey's scrunched shoulders and big feet that came to mind. It was nice to see there were benefits to my height. Plus I had the knack. It was as if, even though my head didn't know what I was trying to do, my hands did. I just followed instructions, and remained thankful that nothing blew up in my face.
Meanwhile, I still had that budget of fifty million to attend to, among other administrative duties. Plus the research that took most of my time. Once I was involved in what I was doing, I truthfully didn't think much about getting my "needs," met. It was kind of Zen in a way. I was constantly in the now, except when I wasn't.
I have to say that I was never bored. It was good to know that I was busy helping to build a simulation that would put to shame all the fantasies I'd created for myself. According to Jeffrey the virtual reality chamber would "feel" so real you'd think you were actually in another world and another time. I was looking forward to trying it out myself. Maybe it would give me a new perspective on life. Bradford seemed to think so.
So, while I was putting wires together in dark cramped space full of doodads and listening to the occasional direction from Jeffrey, Bradford caught me up on some of the difficulties he'd been experiencing, and resolving. The young man watched, without blocking the light, as I tried not to blister my fingers for the second time this week. I didn't understand *everything* he was telling me, but the progress sounded okay so I asked when we'd be able to actually try the VR program out.
Jeffrey's soft tenor came from somewhere above me. I clipped the green and blues together as instructed and tried not to let my head get in the way of my hands. "We're ahead of schedule on hardware," he said confidently, "but the software's still got some kinks." Was that an affectionate tone in his voice? I sometimes wondered what Bradford and Jeffrey did while I was away. Surely they didn't work on this project ALL the time. I sniffed at myself. That was speculation based on nothing more than a few passing glances. Besides, how would *I* know?
Jeffrey continued despite my wandering thought process and I started to wind up the installation. I vowed, next time, that Jeffrey would get to crawl under the panel. I didn't care how compact I was becoming. It was dark. "We wanna do a test run in a couple of weeks to see where we are."
"Cool," I said, as I finished up and slid out from the black. I handed Jeffrey the flashlight, after clicking it off. "That'll be something I can tell Pony when I go to get those requisitions signed."
There was a reason for that big a budget. Gizmos cost money; as did software, and a few myriad other things. Office supplies didn't always run on the cheap. Jeffrey grinned at me, as Bradford uncrouched and then helped me up. His hand was broad and warm in mine. I liked the way it felt and the fact that his fingertips were square. I imagined they would feel good sliding on skin. They certainly looked good smoothing along the keyboard.
I handed Jeffrey the tools, and said in a friendly way, "Now it's time for *you* to do your job." He nodded with a smile and went off to his claimed space of towering wire edifices and component parts. I sometimes wondered how he managed to stack things so they didn't topple over. ..often. The ruckus those things made when they did crash down could be quite stunning. We'd ordered a lot of bins and shelves and places to hang things. That seemed to help.
"As for you," I turned to Bradford, "I've got some new specs on Aztec Amazonia worked out, come on." I led him to my desk where the file folders were starting to win the battle with the history books. I handed him several pages of information to be plugged into the machine. "I think this should give you plenty to work with, AND it's in the format you requested." He smiled at me, waggled the papers with a grin and trotted off happily. I smiled with pleasure. I was starting to get the hang of this.
I lifted another folder off the desk and contemplated my next move. Now it was just a matter of making a few phone calls and finding out exactly *where* Pony was so I could get these papers signed. She could be so hard to find sometimes.
*********************
The phone calls were easy. The rest, as I expected, was a challenge. I'd finally narrowed things down to two possible directions. The General, naturally enough, was a busy woman and her Amazon secretaries protected her time with a genuine ferocity. If this wasn't so important I might have backed off, but we needed these items. I'd finally gotten someone to admit that She was either off grounds or.. .in the sauna, and that she wasn't to be bothered.
I figured, Heck, I won't be a bother. Just in and out. Sign the papers and we're done.
I *hoped* she was in the sauna. If she was off grounds, it could be days before the requisitions got signed and that would put a definite crimp in how fast we got things done in the lab. Not that it was a bad thing. Hey we could go on vacation.. Yeah, like I could convince those fellows to take a real break.
I'd asked them once if they lived in the lab. They'd joked, looking a bit geekish, "Hey, it's our first job. We want you to know we're here for you 24/7." Uh huh...I have to admit the statement had given me a giggle.
Anyhow, I felt a bit of pride that things were coming together. Despite myself, things were going well, and I didn't want anything to interfere with that. Not even my boss. Besides, since she was the only one, (aside from Mel who was, according to another valiant Amazon, unavailable) who could sign off on these papers, and Pony *had* used the words, "Any time you need..." I figured the sauna was fair game.
I made sure to strip off the jacket first. Sauna's were hot and humid. I figured summer weather could compare. I looked around the corner to gage distance, and rolled up my sleeves past my elbows. I was wearing contacts, so there wouldn't be fogging. Sensible shoes with traction so I could leave quickly without slipping. I had it all planned out.
It was good to plan things where Pony was concerned. Since she was an observant genius, She could sometimes throw the weirdest curves into things. We'd had to revamp a whole section of the VR facility because of a single notion of hers. That had been an interesting experience. Five days of work demolished in a half an hour... Besides, I think she appreciated preparation. I checked the pen. Definitely had ink, and made sure the papers were arranged on the clipboard. I called Bradford and gave him a number to call. The phone rang on the wall. The Amazon guard in front went to get it, and turned her back to me. I moved quickly, opened the door and stepped right in, past the steam.
I should have known better.
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This page was last updated: July 18, 1998
ŠJuly 1998
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