Chapter 3

The next question had to be about food. “AI, does the local AI have any data on food that we can eat? Somehow, we are going to have to find food, so I wonder if there is anything already in the bunkers that would be suitable for us? Also, we need to know about drinking water.”

“I had already asked about both items. There is some food stored in a kind of stasis field so that it is as “fresh” as when it was gathered. Water is available for drinking, for food preparation, and for washing. With only three people to be taken care of, there is a virtually unlimited supply of food and water. Eventually, you will need to grow replacement food, but that might not be for as many as 30 years.

“By the way, there is an internal transportation system that is still functional, and it covers the entire city. You should have no trouble moving from place to place within the city. I am beginning to believe that this city would be an ideal base of operations. According to the available maps, which are admittedly over 2,000 years old, the city is comfortably distant from the juncture with other tectonic plates, so you should not be troubled by earthquakes. There are no nearby active volcanoes, and the nearest ocean is far enough away to moderate any fear of tsunamis.”

“Wow, I wonder which one of us is the one who is so intimate with Lady Luck? I have one last question, can you teach the local AI to speak English? Oh, hell, for that matter, can you merge with the local AI and are you willing to do so? What I have in mind is expanding your abilities so that you can do everything you do now, plus pick up everything that the local AI can do that you can’t. Such a combination would be a super AI that would know everything there is to know about us and ease our integration with this city.”

“Frankly, I can easily teach the local AI all of the English that I know, but I am not sure that it would be possible for me to merge with the local AI. I am willing to do that if it is possible, but it is not something that could be done in a few hours or even a few weeks. I’ll have to get back to you on that.

“I have been told that the maintenance robots are now starting to work on replacing the door that you damaged. They are going to remove all of the hot pieces so that you can enter in about an hour. They will rebuild the doorway once you have entered the bunker.”

“If we should decide to make this our permanent home, is there someplace that we can park the Humvee that will keep it protected from the weather. I’ll admit that we have not seen any rain since we’ve been here, but it’s bound to rain sometime. As a matter of principle, I don’t want to leave our only means of surface transportation exposed to the weather, especially when winter gets here.”

“I just checked with the local AI, and there is a place where you can bring the Humvee into the bunkers. It’s approximately two miles from here, so you will probably wind up using the public transportation system to travel back and forth between your living quarters and the ‘garage.’ In the meantime, the Humvee should be safe where it is.”

“I see that the robots have made a pile of hot metal to one side of the entrance. Is that all of it so that we can now use the entrance?”

“Yes, the way is now clear. The robots will wait until you give the go-ahead before they return to work. Once that starts, you will have to avoid this entrance for about two hours while the robots work. Is that acceptable?”

“Yes, it sounds okay to me. Come on, Ladies. Let’s see what will probably be our new home.”

We descended about 20-25 feet into the ground via a stairway that could have come from our home Earth. The way was well lit by ceiling lights, and there was a corridor about 40 feet long to a junction with what had to be a major thoroughfare. We turned right at AI’s direction. We needed to travel about 700 yards to the room holding the local AI, so we were directed to wait until a car arrived to give us a ride.

We only had to wait about five minutes for a car with enough seats for 10 people to show up. This was a short trip, so we moved at only about 5 MPH. AI said that the speed of the car was adjusted to be appropriate for the distance to be traveled and the amount of traffic on the line. I noticed that there was a sign over the waiting area that we had used, but it was impossible for us to read it. Oh, well, AI knew where we came from, so I didn’t worry about it.

We didn’t learn much as we traveled because all of the doors we passed were closed. Nevertheless, the novelty of the situation kept us from being bored on the short trip. We stopped at what was obviously the end of the line. AI said, “The communication hub for the local AI is through that door. Please go on in so that the local AI can ‘see you.’ This car will remain here until you are ready to leave.”

We went into the room and found what must be the universal design for a communication hub. There were a number of display screens hanging from the ceiling and there were four desks with what had to be a keyboard and a mouse. Each desk had a stool with an odd sort of back at the obvious place for an operator to sit. The stools were odd looking until it dawned on us that the back had a slot to accommodate a large tail. Dammit, I could hardly wait to see what the original inhabitants had looked like. Somehow, I expected to see a resemblance to the Geico gecko. Oh, well, I could hold back my impatience for a while.

AI said, “Capt. Brady, please stand on that green dot on the floor and remove your clothes so that the local AI can see what you look like. The two ladies will be next. In the process, the local AI will take your dimensions so that new clothes can be fabricated for you.” I was not overly modest, besides, I expected the two women to see me naked pretty soon, so I merely grinned at them and moved to comply with the request.

I removed my clothes fairly slowly so that the local AI could get a good look at everything that I was wearing. Truthfully, by this time, my underwear was plenty sweaty, and I was a lot more comfortable with it removed. I was looking forward to having fresh clothes to wear. I turned, twisted, and bent over as directed, and it took about 12-15 minutes to satisfy the local AI. I was not in a great hurry to get dressed again in those sweaty clothes, so I just stood to one side still completely nude.

Karen was the next to be sent to the green dot, and she followed my lead by removing her clothes slowly so that the local AI could get a good look at each item of clothing, especially her bra and panties. I was pleased to see that she had a completely shaved pussy. In fact, I was so pleased that my cock became erect. Both Karen and I blushed at that, and Jane broke into a hearty laugh.

AI said to me, “Capt. Brady, I had to explain to the local AI why your penis became erect. It was concerned about providing adequate room in your underwear to allow for the change in size. My answer was that the erection was rare enough that your new clothes should be sized for your smaller penis size, but the underwear should be made from a stretchable fabric.

“The same question was raised by First Officer Jackson’s enlarged nipples, and I gave the same answer for her bra, except that I suggested that the stretchable fabric should only be in the immediate vicinity of her nipples.”

Karen’s measurements took about the same time as mine did, so it was now Jane’s turn. Jane moved to the green spot with no hesitation and gave me a definite “come hither” look as she started to remove her clothes. Karen had removed her clothes in what I imagined that she would use before entering the shower, but Jane went her several orders of magnitude better by using a strip-tease routine. I could hear the classic stripper’s music in my mind.

Naturally, I came erect again, and both the women laughed. What the hell, I laughed, too. AI commented, “I told the local AI to do both bras the same way with the stretchable fabric.” She went through the same routine as Karen and I, and I got a full display of her bare pussy.