Chapter 2

I groaned and rolled over on my back. I was lying on what suspiciously felt like the ground. Damn. I hadn't done that since I was in the SEALs. My eyes fluttered open and I was staring up at trees that were positively HUGE. They looked like oaks, only not. They were just so big that it defied explanation. They were probably seven feet wide at the base and had green bark on them.

I sat up and looked around. I was in the forest that looked very dense. I sighed. So much for telling Braato bye. I then stood up with fluid grace. I stretched the knee that had been blown out and smiled when I felt no ache or pain. This was too much. I laughed out loud.

I looked around and spotted and 9mm at the base of the tree. I walked over and picked it up seeing a big bag also by the tree. I popped the clip and looked, seeing that it was fully loaded. It was then that I noticed my clothes. I was wearing very odd clothes. Well, odd for me. I was wearing leather pants and boots that were black and what looked to be a white cotton shirt. I was also wearing a jerkin. For those that do not know what a jerkin is, it is a sleeveless and collarless jacket that was made of some type of leather. It was also black and suspiciously heavy.

It was so suspicious that I took it off. I then knew why it felt heavy.

There was a damn two handed broadsword on it in a leather sheath. I stuck the 9mm into the front of my pants and drew the sword out of the sheath. Even though Braato said this was the Bronze Age, this was a steel sword, through and through. I sliced with it through the air and noticed that it was really, really light. Much to light for a steel sword. Why was it so fucking light? I knew how heavy steel swords were because I trained with a sword, which was remarkably like this one in looks, in martial arts classes.

It is of a titanium alloy.

I looked left and right to see where that incredibly sexy and very female voice came from.

Have you already forgotten that I was to be installed in you? I swear she sounded a little huffy.

Damn. The sentient computer I was promised! What the hell was I thinking when I forgot that? "Sorry, I had a lot on my mind. What's your name?"

Valerie. I chose that name from your world.

"It's great to meet you, Valerie."

Thank you. She sounded so grateful that I smiled.

"Not to change the subject, but I thought I was supposed to see a screen with my left eye?"

Just think of it popping up and it will.

I'll be damned if it didn't. It looked like a Windows XP screen and when I moved my eyes the arrow moved. I went on a hunch and thought about clicking the Start button and damned if it didn't pop up. I then 'clicked' on Word and brought it up. I thought of the words and they started to appear on the screen. This was great! But I didn't want to do this right now. Then I thought this would be great if it had a map. All of the sudden a screen popped up and I was shocked.

Microsoft Streets popped up with information on where I was at. I heard a soft giggle and a word from Valerie told me that she made it pop up. I zoomed in on things and I noted there was a good sized village about half a mile from where I was at. There were 53 people there, according to the map. That would be my next stop. That is after I get some information.

"Valerie, what do they use for money here?"

Bronze, Silver and Gold coins. They will also barter for animal meat, skins and spices. She told me immediately.

Then I asked her if it was possible for her to make me some money for trade. It was then that something happened that freaked me out a little. A black stallion appeared out of nowhere and it had a saddle and saddle bags on it. With a giggle she asked me to check the bags. I walked over to the stallion and rubbed his neck, telling him he was a good boy. It just basked in the attention.

I looked into the saddle bags and saw a small pouch and picked it up. It was heavy and contained several gold coins, as well as bronze and silver. There was another bag that weighed even more and it had about three hundred gold coins in it. I didn't know how much gold went for but I was hoping I had enough too make me a start. Here's to hoping anyway. I put the big one back in the saddle bags and took the other one over to my jerkin. I then put the jerkin back on and put the pouch in the pocket the jerkin had.

I then thought about small things that I needed. I asked Valerie for ten Bic Lighters, thirty pounds of salt and ten pounds of sugar, a portable wood stove to cook on and ten hunting knives that had eight inch blades. I thought that this was enough to go on until I had a permanent residence. It all appeared in the saddle bag and I was satisfied. The very small cook stove appeared on the ground. I just wished that I could ask for a dwelling that was permanent. I knew that was asking for a lot though. I would have to build that.

How many rooms would your dwelling have? Valerie asked in a sweet voice that made me suspicious.

"I was thinking of making a three bedroom place that looked sort of like what they would have here."

Give me twenty minutes and you will have one. She sounded way too smug.

I was shocked. I was also comforted that she did have limits or she would not have asked for that much time. I asked her if she could give me an M-16 for hunting and I would go hunting while I was waiting. One appeared, laid against a tree. I walked up and picked it up. I popped the clip and saw it was loaded. I then took off walked south, determined to kill my supper so I wouldn't have to ask Valerie for help. I wanted to survive in this world without much help.

I don't know how I got so lucky but not ten minutes of walking later and I spotted a doe that was three times the size of any doe I had seen on earth and she was munching on some type of berries that I had never seen before. I carefully and quietly brought my rifle to my shoulder, taking aim. I've always been a good shot. I caught her right above the eye, blowing her brains out the back of her head.

I then waited five minutes and walked over to where she dropped. Slinging M-16 over my shoulder, using the strap, I bent down and lifted the big bitch up over my shoulder. I don't see how I could have done it. It led me to think that Braato might have done a few other improvements on me... It was something to think about later.

It was just then that a very smug Valerie said she was done with my dwelling. I must admit, I was as curious as hell wondering what she had built. I walked the fifteen minute walk back to where I was, cursing myself for not bringing the stallion, and stepped into a clearing. Clearing? There wasn't a clearing when I left. I was shocked, but not as shocked as when I seen what was in it.

I think I got a little carried away. She sounded weary of my reaction.

"You think?!?" I shouted out loud with a laugh.