Chapter 9: The Purpose

"Ugh," I moaned. "Can't we just walk there?" To date, traveling had not been a pleasurable experience. Lila ignored me with a smirk and stood up tall, clearing her throat as if preparing to give a rehearsed speech.

"There are only three things in Harmony that are free," she began. "These three items are the gifts that a caretaker bestows upon her hero after his first successful Trial. The first of these, I present to you now." She took my hand in hers and threaded the black leather wristband through itself, securing it to my wrist. "This is your Traveler. It is your link to Harmony, and to me." I gave it another once-over. It looked like a normal wristwatch with two sets of arms. "It always displays the time here on Harmony, as we've adopted Earth's 24-hour day-night cycle, and the time on Earth as well. It readjusts itself every time you travel to deal with the time dilation." I hazarded a quick check. 3:30 am. With any luck, Dani would still be asleep.

"Thanks," I said. "Never had a girl give me a watch before."

"You're very welcome, Duncan. Now hold your breath. It helps." She punched a button on my traveler and uttered, "Hall of the Champion," and then I was once again treated to the most off-putting sensation describable.

With a gust of wind and deep thrum, I traveled, appearing instantly in another place. Another gust and a sharp "crack" later, Lila appeared next to me. For what it was worth, holding my breath had helped. Additionally, the whole process felt less and less debilitating each time, like my body was becoming used to it. The nausea was less severe, and my vision returned almost immediately. What I saw was ... unexpected...

I rematerialized on solid ground, but I felt Earth beneath my feet and living grass instead of the sterile plastic-like material the rest of the facility consisted of. There was no ceiling, only the most vast and unadulterated stretch of the heavens I've ever beheld. It was a cloudless night sky, and an impossible amount of stars were on display. There were no walls either. I was in a large field of soft green grass. In the distance, in every direction, the grass uniformly disappeared into the feet of distant mountains.

"This," Lila told me, "Is Gerald's War Room."

Various objects and furniture items were scattered across the lawn. There didn't seem to be any uniformity or symmetry at all. On one patch of grass, there was an old reclining chair, flanked by a reading light and a stuffed bookcase. A few feet away from it sat a polished black grand piano. There was even a small pebble stream winding its way through the center, with a tiny wooden bridge over it leading to a set of painted teepees. There was only one other structure, a log cabin of sorts that was illuminated from within.

"Holy smokes," I said, allowing my eyes to wander. I was awestruck by the alien sky until I noticed a full moon and then the Big Dipper and Orion's Belt. Like the windows earlier, this image was false. This was the night sky as seen from Earth, not from here. I knew that it was somehow fabricated, but the knowledge made the view no less spectacular.

"Beautiful, isn't it?"

"It's incredible," I said. "Are we still on Harmony?"

"Yes," she replied. "This is an example of how you can customize your war room. Gerald was Earth's leading hero, and because of that, he lived here in the penthouse, but your appointments can be similar, albeit a bit smaller. If you prefer the night sky to a ceiling, you can have it. If you want grass at your feet instead of stone or carpeting, you can have it. Everything you see," She spread her arms for emphasis. " ... can be yours, if you'll only be my hero."

My eyes lingered on Lila for a moment. She stood like that with her hands parted, as if to draw attention to all of the beautiful and precious things around her, but she was so striking that everything seemed dull and unimpressive by contrast. When I awoke in that tube, I had noticed that she was beautiful, but because of everything I had seen since, and the resultant revelations, I hadn't taken the time to truly appreciate how supernaturally attractive she was.

There, standing in the starlit darkness was the single most enchanting creature I had ever set my eyes upon. Even with the quiet beauty of nature at her feet and the immensity of stars as her backdrop, she was still the loveliest vision of all. Maybe it was just the ambience of the room, or maybe the brutality of the woods left me emotionally vulnerable, but the mere sight of her made me ache. I wanted her more than anything I could ever remember.

"Duncan?" Her voice brought me back. She wore an amused expression that alerted me that I must have been staring. "See anything you like?" I looked her up and down unabashedly.

"Absolutely," I replied. Lila rolled her eyes and walked toward the stream, beckoning me with a finger.

"I meant in the room. Do you see anything around that you'd like to spend your coins on in the future."

"Can I spend coins on you?" She started to laugh. "I'm sorry," I added. "Is that rude? I didn't mean to imply that you're for sale or anything."

"Relax," she said, "I know it's still confusing. But to answer, yes, I'm hoping that you'll spend coins on me once you earn some. It takes ten coins for a hero to unlock his caretaker."

"Unlock you for what? Are you locked?"

"I'm not permitted to do certain stuff until you unlock me."

"You and your vague generalities. What kind of stuff?"

"Fun stuff. The kind of stuff that requires a soft bed and no clothes."

"I can pay you to have sex with me?"

"No," she curtly replied, "and pay attention, because this is an important distinction. You're not paying me for sex. I'm not a whore."

"Whoa, whoa. I never meant to imply..."

"Just listen. You don't pay any of the girls here. No money exchanges hands. The coins you earn are symbolic. When you have enough credits to unlock your caretaker, or any other woman of Harmony, it simply means that you have earned the right to our talents and services. We are not obligated to have sex, or spend any time with you at all, but we're healthy sexual beings, just like Earthlings. We like sex, and heroism is attractive."

"Are there any other men on Harmony?" Lila grinned and shook her head.

"Truthfully, that's a factor as well. We train with men, but when we enter service as healers, we separate. Women go to stations that service men, like this one. Harmony men travel to those that service women."

"Women? You mean, like, there are other Harmonies that cater to women? There are girl heroes?!" Lila nodded.

"Sure," she said. "Think you're the only one who can fight evil just because you have a dick?"

"Well obviously," I joked. "How women even get out of bed in the morning without a penis is beyond me." She stuck out her tongue at me.

"Point being, there are no men on this station except Earth heroes. Most of us mess around with each other on occasion but sometimes a girl just needs some dick. We use the healing vats regularly to ensure health and to slow aging and it affects us much in the same way it does you." She gestured to my penis which was still gesturing right back toward her. "Most women of harmony will be more than happy to service you, especially healers. They're younger, more inexperienced, eager to please. They see the atrium as a place to practice their training on real-life heroes."

"They train in sex?"

"What? Of course. But look, we're getting off topic. The important thing to remember is that there are many attractive rewards that you can earn by being a hero."

"But isn't doing good things simply to earn rewards kind of anti-heroic? Wouldn't a hero save people just because it was the right thing to do?"

"This is simply positive reinforcement, Duncan. It raises efficiency over time. This isn't some fairy tale or fable trying to tell you that hard work without reward is somehow virtuous. We don't care if our heroes are virtuous. We simply expect our heroes to produce results; their intentions are unimportant in the long run. Rewarding you for good behavior doesn't make your good behavior any less good but it does make you do it more often."

"But when I was a kid, my Sunday school teacher said..."

"Stop derailing my train of thought!" she snapped, pressing a finger to my lips. "and please just let me finish. We're almost done. The attractive rewards that you can spend credits on bring me to the second of your three gifts.

Lila looked around for a moment and then took off across the grass. She maneuvered around the grand piano and hopped over the stream to the side of the log cabin, where sat a large plastic white desk, same as the one in my war room. "That looks just like your desk." I said.

"That's because it is my desk," she said, "in a way. This is a caretaker's desk. It is where we perform all of my administrative duties. There is an identical desk in every war room, and whenever a caretaker enters, it is populated by all his or her own personal belongings, which is why this..." She pulled open one of the side drawers and pulled out a giant thick magazine of phone-book'esque proportions. " ... is exactly where I left it."

"Neato." I was out of surprised exclamations by that point. "Neato" was all I had left.

"This," she said, slapping the book down on the table in front of me with a grin " ... is the catalogue." I looked down at the cover and saw the letters "IKEA" written in big block letters on the front.

"Oh come on! You MUST be joking," I said. "You guys shop at IKEA?"

"No. Of course, not," she said, looking at me like I was brain-damaged. "It's just the cover. It used to be a Sears & Roebuck but when IKEA was becoming mainstream and trendy some time ago, younger heroes started referring to the catalogue as the "IKEA Book" and it kinda stuck, I guess."

She shrugged. "We update from time to time to stay current. Your Traveler used to be a crucifix pendant, and before that, it was a merchant's trade ring. We try to be as mainstream as possible so as not to attract attention. In a few years, we'll probably have to change it to a phone." I hefted the book, and flipped open to a random page. Some attractive women stared up from the page casting me sultry come-hither expressions while modeling flannel pajamas.

"You can take this book back to Earth with you, so it's made to look like a standard magazine to divert suspicions in case someone else finds it and decides to take a look." She opened to the furniture section and showed me how every item had a listed cost in US dollars like any other catalogue. The real price, in coins, was actually the final three digits of the UPC code written in fine print underneath.

"Anything you desire to furnish your war room can be found here. Information about upgrades and implants is hidden within the boring legal section in the middle. Not much chance of anyone accidentally reading that. You can also get yourself some clothes to wear around the facility or, if you're feeling generous, you can also buy outfits for me to wear. I'll be happy to model anything you'd like." She had mischief in her eyes. " ... and I'm not talking about pajamas..."

It sounded inviting but I knew what was next. "What'll that cost me?"

"Actually," she continued, glancing around the room. "Maybe I can give you a freebie. I'm sure a hero like Gerald had an elegant collection somewhere. Lemme check. Amuse yourself for a moment." With that, she disappeared around the corner with a flirtatious giggle.

Amuse myself? In the grandiose chamber/prairie, I had no idea where to begin. Strange-looking animal pelts littered the floor ... err ... grass, an old antique cuckoo clock kept time (Earth's) in the center, and over in the corner, there was the mysterious log cabin. I felt like a kid waiting in the doctor's office, surrounded by expensive medical contraptions that I wasn't supposed to touch.

I crossed the stream to the door to the cabin, which opened into a large rectangular chamber dominated by a long mahogany dining table that was set for twelve. In keeping with Gerald's rustic preferences, the décor was all dark woody browns and deep reds, and everything was kept in pristine condition. There was not a speck of dust to be seen, even around the blazing fireplace set into the wall.

At the far end of the room, there was an ornately-carved captain's chair that evidently marked the head of the table. Behind it sat a wood and glass display case, like one might find at a jewelry store. I approached to see that it contained a single book resting upon a pedestal encased in glass. It was a very old book, but I could still make out the red coloring of the leather, and the two large words etched into the cover. It read "The Purpose." That was all.

The tome exuded an air of importance and grandiosity, and I instantly wanted to read it. The purpose of what? Was it the purpose of this station? Of heroes? Of life, everything? Unfortunately for me, the case was locked, or rather, it was closed. I looked for a lock and couldn't find one. I bent underneath it to examine the fastenings but there was nothing there either. The book was protected by a seamless cube of glass. Why is the purpose always so hard to get at?

"I found something to wear," Lila said. I turned around to find my blonde-haired fox of a caretaker in a sensual pose, back arched against the doorframe, smoky eyes seducing the ever-loving shit out of me. She had, indeed, found something else to wear.

Her outer "layer," if it could be called that, seemed to be nothing more than a small black tube of silk and lace gently laid across her chest, ending just past her butt. Technically speaking, I suppose it would be a chemise, but it was so small that I could probably fold it into quarters and use it as a pocket square.

"What do you think?" she purred. "Does my hero approve?" Underneath her transparent top was a slightly less transparent – but still quite scandalous – lacy black bra and panties. The bra was too small – Lila's cleavage had cleavage – and her thong was too small for anyone ... ever. With her silhouette turned to me, and her chemise just barely covering the thong strap, she was bare from the middle of her ass down.

She arched her back even harder and raised her arms to grip the door-frame above her, still posing. Her barely-there garment lifted with her movements, exposing her long slender stomach to me. "There's a whole outfit back there with leather and a garter belt, fishnets, a gag, the whole works. I was sorely tempted, but I didn't want to keep you waiting." She dropped her arms to her sides and turned to face me. She looked so enticing walking toward me that I was rendered near speechless.

"Oh my God," I mumbled.

"The whole thing is a little small..."

"It certainly is..." In the best way possible. Lila was not a big girl at all. At 5'6" and slim, most would consider her petite. Whoever Gerald bought that outfit for must have been positively Lilliputian. She turned around and looked down over her shoulder, trying to see her butt and giving me a nice flash in the process. "Does this make my ass look fat?"

To allow me a better perspective, she tugged her top up so that the fabric slid up, cresting her cheeks to bunch at her waist. Her panties could barely be considered present. If not for the tiny black triangle at the small of her back and the shoestring of material securing it to her waist, I would have thought she had gone commando.

"That makes your ass look spectacular," I corrected her, and she smiled in return.

"You think so?" She teased me with a little erotic dance and bounced on her heels a few times to jiggle her cheeks. Lila definitely had an ass but it was more firm than flabby, more muscle than cushion. While certainly a "trunk," there was very little "junk" in it. "As long as my hero approves."

Satisfied, she started towards me. She left her outfit hugging her stomach, her lower abdomen and belly button peeking out underneath "I was afraid I'd look ridiculous. Have to take the whole thing off..." She playfully stepped closer, eyes glued to mine. "I see you've discovered The Purpose."

I glanced at the book. "Cool title," I said. "Very evocative. And probably very out-of-my-price-range, right?"

"Oh, this particular item is out of everyone's price range. The Purpose cannot be purchased, it can only be earned. It is awarded to the Leading Hero. Now that Gerald is gone, a tournament will be held to determine who the next recipient will be." Lila placed her hands on the glass of the display case.

"What's in it?"

"Illumination," she replied. "Clarity. The Purpose is the answer to all of your questions. I'm not sure if I mentioned it earlier, but there are certain questions that cannot be answered with coins and even if you're flush, the cost of answers becomes greater with each one purchased. Sooner or later, all heroes must quest for the book." She stared at the tome with a certain sense of awe. I stared at her with a similar expression.

To be honest, I only half heard what Lila was saying, so distracted I was by her proximity to me. She was flawless in a way that seemed almost magical. She enticed me and terrified me at once. She was better than any fantasy I had ever longed for whenever the real world became gray and lifeless. And yet, she wasn't a fantasy. She was real – my dreams made manifest in a girl I could see. A girl I could touch.

I reached forward and allowed my fingers to brush against her side, that smooth contoured stretch of skin between the ribs and pelvis. She was warm and soft and perfect and so impossibly – so magically – real, in a place that just couldn't be so. I felt goosebumps rise under the tips of my fingers as she turned towards me with bright violet eyes not of my world.

"So you like my outfit, then?" I nodded and placed my other hand on her waist, hazarding a stronger contact. Her innate attractiveness, combined with whatever that healing tube did to my sex drive, was quickly becoming a sexual volcano. I was so turned on that I could barely think straight. My fingers squeezed. I would have pulled her against me if not for my penis, standing rigid and unwavering like a bouncer between us. She giggled sweetly. "I can't believe you're still hard."

"Yeah, I may have to call a doctor soon." We both looked down at the tented sweat pants, bobbing ever so slightly with my heartbeat. It was pointed straight at us, like a child asking his parents for permission. "I apologize." I said. "My dick isn't usually so presumptuous." I was far past feeling embarrassed, despite how she intimidated me. "I usually prefer to get to know a girl first before my erection comes between us."

"It's alright," Lila said dreamily, "I'd actually prefer it to come in my mouth instead." Oh snap, Lila got puns. Her hand petted my bulge like an obedient pet, and I shivered reflexively. "I was actually hoping that you'd do me a favor before I give you your third and final gift."

"Yeah, sure," I said quickly, "Anything." I was prepared to do literally anything to have my erection come in her mouth instead. Without further preamble, she slid her top up and over her head, before tossing it onto the table. Then she thrust her chest forward slightly and reached her hands behind her in the peculiar motion that every man knows and loves. She was unfastening her bra.

It took some fortitude not to start jumping up and down like a gleeful child about to play with his favorite toys, but I managed. I grit my teeth and braced myself for impact. She chastely covered her breasts with one arm and undid the clasp with the other, holding the cups in place while the straps fell down her sides. My eyes must have gone wide because she started laughing.

"You should see your face."

"You should see your chest."

"Nah, you should see it." She removed her arm and let the bra fall away. My jaw dropped. I'm not sure which hit the ground first. They were stunning.