Chapter 13

104

The morning after, Tony woke up feeling warm, affectionate, and blissfully satisfied. He felt like all was right with the world.

He also felt hungry and sticky. They’d skipped some steps before going to bed, let alone going to sleep.

“Good morning, Tony.” Ai’s voice hummed with love. She must have already been awake for some time: water made her skin shiny and her hair heavy. She sat on the bed’s edge, a hand tracing over his chest.

Those touches sent a shiver through his skin and a smile over his face. “It really is.” He peered up at her. “You showered without me.”

“I’ll make it up to you.” She leaned closer, her hand pressing her weight onto his chest. Her voice teased at his ear. “But if we showered together, I wouldn’t let you get anything done all day.”

He shuddered. The tone of promise in her voice, the feeling of her fingers on his chest, her naked body close enough to touch ... he knew she was right. And they had other things to do. He sighed, sat up, and gave her just one kiss before he left bed. “Then you’d better put some clothes on. I’ll hit the shower.”

When he came out, Ai was dressed — in simple yet flatteringly-fit black clothes that sparked his imagination, plus a white apron. Breakfast was ready and waiting. Somehow, they made it through the meal without pouncing on each other.

Then they got to work. Tony had put so much of his effort into Relive itself, he’d almost forgotten that he’d have to show it to people. He called up an AR planning app, creating an illusion of the pedestal in the middle of the living room floor. “The Airgetlám is our main eye-catcher. That’s what people will see, before they interface with anything. We need some way to show off what it can do...” He tapped his chin, looking towards Ai. He’d blown past her messages the night before, but he remembered there being good ideas in there.

“Oh, yes, Tony. I was thinking about that this morning.” With a straight face and an innocent tone, she said, “Clearly, I should stand nearby, and anyone who pairs with the hand may touch my breasts. I know you enjoy doing so.”

His eyes lingered on her apron-clad chest for a second ... then he tore them away. His cheeks felt so tight and overfilled, they might burst. “You’re just saying that to make me blush.”

She smiled, utterly unashamed, and didn’t deny it.

He huffed, shaking his head. Even if she essentially admitted it was a joke, he wanted to be clear. “We are not letting random people grope you. Yes, it’s fun—” He demonstrated for himself, fingers sliding across the side of her shirt, beside her apron. Her breast was such a warm weight, and clearly braless beneath. “—but that is not the angle we’re going with. Besides, I doubt Kaitlin...”

That thought stopped him short. He doubted Kaitlin would approve. For all that Ai wore it for the moment, that was still Kaitlin’s body. Kaitlin’s breast overfilling his hand. As much as he liked feeling her, uncertainty stirred. His hand backed away.

Until Ai touched it. Her fingers were delicate on the back of his wrist, while her gaze was firm and focused on his face. “As long as this body is mine, you may always touch it.”

As long as the body was hers. That put a hard end in place ... but it also quelled his doubts until then. He gently squeezed her chest and kissed her lips. That was still Ai in there. Uncertainty could wait for later.

Unfortunately, so could sex. Searching through his kybernet with the back of his mind, he’d found her messages. “Textures. You suggested something like having silk scarves laid out next to the Airgetlám?” She nodded, and he looked back to the pedestal. Such a narrow thing, not much space on top of it...

But there was space around it. With a smile and a few thoughts, he adjusted the AR image. The silk could hang over the side. The arm could reach it that way, without needing to make the pedestal any larger. And while silk hung from one side, they could offer other textures on the pedestal’s other faces. That would demonstrate the Airgetlám nicely, show the audience and judges how they could feel a sensation without touching it.

Then they could show them Relive proper. Memories saved and shared with perfect fidelity. Ai had the best perspective on such sensations, so he had her select her favourite mem files, to become part of the show.

After a minute of rampant blushing, he clarified for her: her favourite non-sexual mem files. He didn’t need his classmates, peers, and judges to experience Ai’s first night with him.

They formed their lists, of both textures and memories. From there, they could work out their presentation’s sequence. He filled in some visual effects, he edited and re-edited his wording. They put together the materials for the pedestal.

It took them that whole day, but they got it done. They made a presentation fit for the Innovators’ League. By the end, he was mentally exhausted. When they went to bed together, it wasn’t for sex. It was to rest for the day ahead ... and to hold onto each other, close and warm.

That made it even more restful. With Ai in his arms, he felt ready for anything. The League was nothing.

105

It was the day of the Matthews Innovators’ League. Kaitlin bounced with excitement and nervous anticipation. She wasn’t even taking direct part, not aside from the mems, the memory files, she’d shared with Ai, but she still felt ... invested. She wanted Tony to win, wanted Relive to kick all the ass it deserved.

That anticipation was such that she connected twenty minutes early to their V-meet and spent that whole time pacing.

At least she remembered to put some actual clothes on her avatar, for Tony’s sake. But Ai would be there, so she made it flattering: knee-high leather boots, skin-tight leather pants, a leather vest with a long-sleeved white blouse underneath. She didn’t quite copy AI’s makeup. She went for the dark, stark eyeshadow, but vivid red lipstick.

Maybe a little more flattering than Tony would be comfortable with ... but it should only land at a fun level of discomfort.

She checked herself in the mirror one more time, then the server told her someone had signed in. She twirled around, already smiling and ready to greet them.

It was Ai on her own. She wore nice, simple black clothes — a short-sleeved shirt, a short skirt — and a white apron. Not quite the ‘maid’ style of her original avatar: no headdress, and she had a face. A gorgeous face with a heated gaze that devoured Kaitlin from heel to head. “You look stunning.”

Kaitlin’s heart skipped a beat as a smile came to her face. “Y-You too.” Simple clothes were still sexy.

Especially on Ai. There was something about her that morning. A small, glowing smile that never left her face. When she walked towards Kaitlin, the way she moved was different. Each step was liquid grace. Her hips were looser — not ‘I’ve just been fucked’ levels of relaxation, but a kind of smooth glide that hinted at anticipation rather than tight need. That kind of stride felt like a come-hither, at the same time as Ai came towards her.

But when Ai kissed her cheek, it was the same low-resolution sensation as any VR.

Kaitlin wanted to do so many things with Ai, but VR wouldn’t do any of them justice. She sighed as she kissed Ai’s virtual cheek, then peeked past her shoulder. “Is Tony coming?”

Ai shook her head. “He went in early to set up. But he’s given me everything to make sure you’ll be ready.”

Damn. If she’d known Tony wasn’t coming, she would have worn less. But she couldn’t just strip down for Ai ‘just because’. Right? She tried to think about something other than how Ai was looking at her. “Um. Ready?”

Ai’s smile widened. “It’s like you said, Kaitlin.” She lifted a hand, holding out an indistinct, swirling sphere. A file transfer. “Cameras alone, even AR-enabled ones, cannot capture our full presentation.”

Kaitlin oohed as she took the sphere and looked at the files. A full playlist, ready to follow along when the time came. “How secret should I keep these? Because ... well, I’ve already invited someone to watch the stream with me, but...”

Ai laughed. “Tony said you might mention a new friend. And though he seemed nervous, he has pre-emptively given approval.” She held up a finger. “Just for that friend.”

Kaitlin beamed. “Other than that, my lips are sealed.” Carla would love it, she was sure.

Ai tilted her head, her attention moving elsewhere. “I should go and get ready. Soon.” She wasn’t in any hurry to leave, lingering in Kaitlin’s company.

It got Kaitlin’s mind going. For a big day like that, just how would Ai dress? “Can I see?”

Ai’s eyes sparkled. She already had an avatar ready, and swapped right before Kaitlin’s eyes. Pale foundation set off her purple-shadowed eyes and pure-black lips. A black leather overcoat wrapped around her, buttoned closed; beyond that, she only showed the heeled, patent-leather boots climbing up her legs. “You’ll see the rest on the stream. But I think you’ll like it.”

Her tone made Kaitlin shiver. What was she hiding under that coat? As much as she wanted to see right away, now she had another thing to look forward to. Ai looked good enough in simple clothes. If she really put her mind to dressing up...

But Ai wouldn’t do that just for Kaitlin on the other side of a camera. Her man would be at the League, wouldn’t he? Kaitlin grinned and opened her mouth to ask.

Ai spoke first, with a change of subject. “My ... suggestion. I was wondering.”

Kaitlin’s whole face immediately turned red. She didn’t feel as guilty or ashamed as before, not after Ai and Carla had finished with her. But she still felt more than a little awkward. “Wh-What about it?”

“Did you take any video of it?” Ai asked. “Not files for Relive, but simple camera work. That way, you wouldn’t have to talk about it. Talking about it had seemed a matter of some distress.”

Yeah, and sharing explicit video would be so much better, for sure. Kaitlin hadn’t known she could blush any more, but there she was. In VR, could her cheeks reach the point of literally glowing? “I, um. No. I mean, it needs a bit of ... e-editing.”

Ai tilted her head, her eyes boring into Kaitlin’s own. She lifted a hand, fingers cupped to Kaitlin’s cheek. Even limited to virtual sensations, the sense of support came through. “Kaitlin, tell me what’s wrong. You made that video, you performed those acts, because I wanted you to, and I’m grateful for that. You don’t need to hide it from me.”

Kaitlin had done rather more than what Ai had wanted. Ai had asked Kaitlin to get a threesome for her; Kaitlin had gone at least an order or magnitude past that. “I-It’s fine. Privacy for my ... co-stars.” At least Ai would already expect multiple of those.

Ai stared into her eyes for a moment longer, before she finally nodded. “Take your time. But remember, Kaitlin. I want to see you.” She tipped her head forward, emphasising the point. “I want to see you. The ‘co-stars’ are window dressing. Disguise them however makes them comfortable.”

Kaitlin shivered, her toes curling in her boots. Ai wanted her. Ai wanted to see her every bit as much as that depraved part of Kaitlin wanted to show her. But the rest of Kaitlin couldn’t handle it yet. “I’ll show you. Wh-When it’s ready. But I should let you get going.” She lifted a hand, showing the sphere Ai had given her. “I’ll be watching.”

“Then we’d better make it a good show.” Ai kissed her cheek one more time before she signed out, her avatar dissipating into nothing.

Then Kaitlin signed out to go do her part. To gather the snacks; to get the playlist ready to drip-feed to Carla. She smiled at that thought; Carla still had no idea what Tony’s project even was. She looked forward to sharing that little detail in the most impactful way possible.

106

Tony checked the time. Thirty minutes until the Matthews Innovators’ League would officially open, and he was just about done. He stepped back to survey his handiwork.

It was fundamentally the same as what Ai had assembled: an end-table pedestal, holding the rough, chrome arm and silver Airgetlám hand. He’d set permissions and restrictions so people could pair and move it gently, but not violently. The point was not to show off strength or speed, but to show off feeling.

To that end, he’d hung objects from the pedestal’s edges, a different one in front of each face. At the front was Kaitlin’s red silk scarf; at the sides, strips of black leather and purple velvet; and at the back, a small space heater. Sensation wasn’t just about texture.

That was their eyecatch. That would get people to come over. Then he had to get them to try out Relive.

A small, simple device sat on the pedestal, in front of the arm. He’d set the AR tag to ‘polite’ mode: it would offer some augmented reality, but it wouldn’t pop up uninvited.

So the first step was to get them to accept the AR in the first place. He looked up at them: short images floating above the pedestal’s corners, each with a tagline. ‘Relive the Sun’, over a beach scene; ‘Relive the Breeze’, over a swirl of leaves; ‘Relive the Water’, over a swimming pool; ‘Relive the Decadence’ over a revolving bowl of chocolates.

Each one linked to a mem file they could stream, and a short list of other selected files. The last step was to get them playing those files, and seeing what Relive could really do.

He didn’t like that last tagline. It sounded tacky, but ‘Relive Chocolate’ didn’t match the pattern, and ‘Relive the Flavour’ or ‘Relive the Taste’ felt like it was missing something.

Just as he was about to start fiddling, he received a message. (I’m here, Tony.) Ai’s voice. Every time she called him by name, it made him smile. (I just need to check my coat, then I’ll be right there.)

(I can’t wait.) He swiped his fingers across the chocolate bowl to send it spinning faster, but otherwise left it alone, to turn and wait for his date.

Ai walked like she owned the room. Tony didn’t know how many others noticed her, because he couldn’t take his eyes off her for long enough to check. Her outfit started with the boots, of course: heels that boosted her height and added a pendulous sway to her gliding step; inky, shiny black that wrapped her long, slender legs from ankle, up her sweet calves and over her knees, all the way up to her thighs. Above were stockings — not Kaitlin’s red, but new ones. A rich purple that set off her boots’ black, and rather than an elastic grip, they were held up by garters that extended under her skirt. That skirt was black and uneven: almost knee-length on the left but cutting high on her right thigh. High enough to show a few inches of lovely, light skin.

Above the skirt, she wore a corset in the same shiny leather, with purple laces crossing her back ... and a daringly low neckline presenting her perfect breasts, lifted into a mouthwatering gift of cleavage. It took Tony a few seconds to look away, and notice she was wearing elbow-length, fingerless gloves, black and lacy. They softened the sense of exposure, focusing it around her shoulders and upper chest.

Yet her face was still the most breathtaking part. Yes, her makeup was perfect, but more important was her expression. When she looked at him, she had that small, quiet smile on her lips, and her eyes sparkled with a private joy.

He greeted her with a hand on her shoulder — her smooth, bare shoulder. He could kiss her. She wanted him to kiss her, and they’d done it there before...

But this time, there were cameras. Drones floated throughout the room, broadcasting the event. Kaitlin would be watching. With the deadline looming so large, they hadn’t had time to talk with Kaitlin, or even think about how. He couldn’t kiss Ai right in front of her, not without figuring things out first. So he just touched her shoulder and they smiled at each other.

And he kybed her, keeping it as private as possible. (You look amazing. If I was still trying to resist, no way could I resist that.)

Her smile warmed, as did a blush on her cheeks. (Thank you. I’d worried the corset might be too much.) Aloud, she said, “You look all ready. Is there anything I can help with?”

He glanced at the AR chocolate, but shook his head. This was no time to pull things up and start editing. “Looks like we’re just waiting for the judges now.” That thought gave him some pause. “ ... who are the judges for this, anyway?” He knew about Jebediah Stevens.

She laughed, so soft it was almost inaudible. “You really have not been treating this like a competition. Just treating it as ‘building something’. I’ll show you. At present, they’re freely roaming the hall, waiting for the event proper to start.” She turned, put her back against his chest, and opened an AR window. He could watch a camera feed over her shoulder.

Or he could watch her cleavage. That was a hard choice to make.

The window first showed a familiar man with speckled hair, standing by the modular robot exhibit. The camera didn’t catch what he was saying, but judging by the way the engineer flinched and shrank back, it couldn’t have been complimentary. “Jebediah Stevens, Vice-Director of Ruby Automation,” Ai said. “Best known as a robotics company, but with partnerships in industries from aerospace to professional cleaning. They’re interested in any kind of innovation.”

Tony grimaced. “But their judge is family friends with the Matthews. Not going to expect him to be impartial.” He’d have preferred Carl. He wondered if the Director would have come, if he hadn’t happened to be on vacation at the time.

Next, the window showed a more dramatic scene. The plasma containment system had caught fire. Two people had launched into action, before any hotel staff had responded.

Ai focused first on the figure closer to the action, extinguisher in hand. The man was exactly one standard deviation about average height and breadth, with a suit tailored for mobility as much as appearances, and a face fit for recruitment posters. “Sam Dario, of Dario Protection Services, a security company. His perspective is that any new innovation ultimately falls into three categories. It will be used for protection; it will need to be protected; or it will need to be protected against.”

The camera zoomed in on an androgynous person helping the plasma engineer. They had stark, platinum hair, a white coat and dark trousers, and a skinny, gender-neutral frame. “Doctor White, from Caduceus Medtech,” Ai said. “Their interest is much more focused. They like medical breakthroughs; last year, they voted for a new hormone-regulation implant.”

Tony nodded, chewing on that. Security and medicine ... he couldn’t think of how Relive even applied there, let alone appealed.

Ai touched his arm and smiled up at him. “Relax, Tony. There are applications.” She faced forward and moved on.

Next was a familiar, elfin face; she was swarmed by fans, spending more time giving autographs than looking at projects. “Stella Blaze, representing Silver Screen Entertainment. Her priority is novelty, entertainment value. Something that generates spectacle or fun.”

Tony laughed. “Think Kaitlin will be jealous that we’re meeting Stella in person?”

Ai’s smile turned mysterious. “Perhaps.” Her head tilted. “I’m having trouble locating the last judge on cameras ... ah, there she is.”

This time, the image was from farther away. The woman blurred into the crowd except for her long, purple hair. She didn’t dress like a judge, just wearing black jeans and a ribbed, turtleneck sweater. Her curved body heavily filled out both. “Belladonna Black,” Ai said. “She’s officially here as CEO of Seraph, a small computing firm. But many theorise she actually represents the Armas hacker community. She’s most interested in innovative software.”

Meaning she would be the most interested in Relive, and the most able to tear it apart down to the last semicolon. Tony took a slow, deep breath, fidgeting with his hands on Ai’s abdomen. It was nice to just hold her. If he could keep Ai in his arms, he could have waited for days for the next step.

But then she straightened up, just before a small crowd came towards the holo-stage.

“The judges are gathering,” she said. “The League is starting.”

107

“It’s starting,” Carla called.

She barely lifted from her comfortable sprawl on Ophelia’s couch. While the masseuse was at work, she let Kaitlin borrow her apartment to watch the League. The wall facing the couch was perfect for holding the AR window. Carla probably would have watched the League anyway; someone had to keep an eye on Stevens. But when Kaitlin asked her so earnestly, she made a couple of playful ‘conditions’.

“Coming, coming, I’m coming!” Kaitlin rushed out of the kitchen, carrying a tray of snacks. It included a lot of hurka and kolbasz sausages, sizzling and fresh. That was Carla’s first condition.

And she only wore a translucent apron and a pair of string bikini bottoms. That was Carla’s second condition.

Kaitlin blushed and bounced as she hurried to sit next to Carla. “Did I miss anything?”

Carla hooked an arm around her, hand playing over her exposed side. “They’re using one of the projects instead of a dedicated stage this year, it looks like. Just starting the opening speech now.”

Carla laughed. “They said ‘best project’. Not ‘best engineer’. I like that; it puts the focus on evaluating the work, not the person. Dee’s always been thoughtful like that.”

“Dee?” Kaitlin settled closer against her side. “Wait, you know Doctor White’s first name?”

“Uh, no.” Carla coughed. “Dee is short for Doctor.”

Kaitlin giggled. “Figures.” She bent forward, squinting at the window. “Come on, where are they?”

Carla smiled at her, sidelong. “There are a lot of projects to get through. They’re not going to start with Tony.”

Kaitlin pouted. “Well they should.”

Instead, Stevens stepped forward. “And let’s kick this off with a bang, with one I’ve been looking forward to. Rico Matthews, who’s generously given us the use of his stage, has something to show us. Rico! Come on up!”

The judges left the stage. Instead, up went a well-sculpted man and a red-haired woman wearing a trench coat. A piece of popcorn sailed into the back of her head—

Carla peered at Kaitlin. “I detect some animosity.”

Kaitlin scowled and threw another kernel at the window. “That’s the bitch who broke my brother’s heart. And the jerk who stole his first project.”

Even as aggressive as it was, Carla had to smile. “You’re protective, huh.” She wondered just what Kaitlin would think of Tony with his Muse.

“Thank you, thank you,” Rico said. Rather than ebony, his podium turned into rosewood with silver accents. “First, let me clarify. This—” He stamped his foot on the stage, and it sent up a spray of illusory flowers. “—is not my project. I’m sure we’ve all seen a holo-stage before, all felt the force-field breeze.” The flowers swirled through the air, and his hair tossed about.

While Kaitlin watched, she impaled a sausage on a fork and held it up to Carla.

“I wish,” Carla said. “This body doesn’t have taste receptors.” She couldn’t even smell it, though she could imagine how smokey the kolbasz would be. “I insisted on those for your sake, so you could try them.” Though for the moment, they were more engaged watching the League.

“No ... I have something new,” Rico said. “Let me, and my lovely assistant Sonia, show you.”

The redhead waited at one end of the stage. Her back to the cameras, she shrugged off her coat. Before it hit the floor, she was clothed in a holographic green dress. She turned and strutted along the holo-stage like a catwalk, with red carpet coming into existence under each step.

Carla checked another camera. Yes, Stella looked as disinterested as she’d thought; she’d done a tour using holo-clothes years ago.

But then Sonia reached the stage’s edge ... and kept on walking. The dress should have disappeared by the time she reached the first step. Instead, it glowed all around her, swishing with her movements. A light at her throat drew Carla’s eye at last to her choker, now powered on and lit up.

Carla sat up and paid attention. Wait, what?

”That is my project,” Rico proudly declared. “A hardlight holo-projector, so small you can wear it. And thus, wear anything you can imagine. And yes, it is hard light. Try it for yourself.” As Sonia walked past, the judges each laid hands on her.

Carla couldn’t feel for herself, but guessing by the judges’ faces ... that was the real deal. If she were there, she’d have one simple question, though probably with some stammering. How?

Carla sat back. She was silent for a moment, just processing what she’d seen. “And ... you say Tony made that first?”

Kaitlin pouted, her knees drawn up to her chest. She didn’t want to admit it, but... “Not like that. His was miniature, sure, but ... like this big.” She splayed out her hand. “And it still acted like a stage.”

“That’s still impressive,” Carla said. “But this ... free-floating force fields, and at that size. How does he even set up the multidirectional constructive interference? Or has he come up with some way to make a force field without...” She sighed, shaking her head.

The judges continued through the centre. To Kaitlin’s disappointment, they still didn’t go straight to Tony. Some of the other projects were interesting, like Nothing — a bulletproof material that could look and feel like nothing at all. Stevens definitely approved of the model wearing it.

But Rico Matthew’s tiny holo-projector was a tough act to follow.

108

“It’s not possible.” Ai’s hand clenched into a fist on his sleeve.