Chapter 20

Shanor

We all had sat in the cave for several hours, Laura had not moved since we had arrived, Ben had sat next to her the entire time. Entoch and I had moved to the corner where I was checking on his new body like Laura had taught me, it had be come very difficult for me to distinguish between the virtual Laura and the actual one, I had spent more time with the Virtual one than the real one. I was still struggling using the interface with my sensors, I was pulling so much data from Entoch body that it was hard to keep track.

"Everything seems ok to me Entoch, you feel anything wrong?"

Entoch looked at me and shook his head.

"Besides the fact that I am now 80% metal? Naw I am good"

I smiled at him.

"You know in a while Laura said she can give you real flesh, it will just take time"

I ran my hand over his arm, he was taller now, he was shaped more like a man now, he was a little shorter then Laura, for the most part I had stayed the same size, laura and him now towered over me, where as before Entoch had been the same height.

"I don't mind" he grabbed my hand

"We still have the virtual space, as long as we have that I am fine"

I smiled at that, we had spent so much time there learning that both of us could not tell it was fake, it all seemed so real. I looked over at Laura and Ben, thinking for a moment.

"You know Entoch, I think we can still go there ... You know to kill some time"

He looked at me frowning.

"Shanor time goes slower there, how would that help us? Laura is not there so we can not learn anything right now we would be all alone."

I shook my head.

"You can really be dense sometimes Entoch, do you know that?"

I could see him think for a moment.

"OH oh I get it"

I smiled at him holding his hand, I shut my eyes and focused, soon we both where in the virtual space, in human bodies again, flesh bodies, it was slow at first, he seemed unsure of himself, I took charge having heard from the older girls in the village how their first times had went, Laura had covered procreation in her training, I pulled Entoch to me embracing him in the virtual space.

"Time to put all that studying to use Entoch, final exam time"

He grinned at me and went to work.

Ben

Laura had explained what had happen to her, I had witnessed the attack on her lab the same way she had seen what had happened to me. She told me how I was now being used by the government and this company she had worked for, it was a lot to take in at one time, I was stunned I looked at her.

"So I am dead then? This is all fake? I am only a copy of me?"

looked up into my eyes shaking her head.

"Ben I know how I feel, do you feel like your dead? Do you feel you are fake? Do you feel like a copy?"

I thought for a moment, it had seemed like I was trapped in a nightmare being tormented, I thought I was dead, and that my soul was being punished, I didn't feel fake, I nodded at her.

"No you're right, I don't feel fake, this all feels very real"

She waved her hand, suddenly we stood on a beach, she smiled at me, tapping her head.

"In here we can be anywhere we want to Ben, physically we are stuck in our bodies in another world, but in here we are free."

I looked around, I would have to learn how to do all this.

"So what now Laura? We have to stop the company, they will just keep attacking you"

Laura smiled.

"I don't know what now, but we can figure it out together, I don't think you can go back to that world Ben, they would just try to enslave you again."

I nodded, knowing that is what most likely going to happen, there was a flash and Laura's double appeared, she looked between both of us and got a funny look in her eye.

"While you two have been chit chatting I have been working on the a.i. Problem, it seems they installed several programs to control Ben here, it seems that was why he was stuck in a loop."

I frowned, she continued.

"Oh and I found this"

She waved her hand and a man appeared next to us I had never seen him, Laura however looked at him.

"Its the guy who sent me the message"

The other Laura nodded.

"Yes he is the one who was trusted with me and the files I gave you"

The man started to move, he looked around as if checking if he was alone, he leaned forward to whisper.

"I am sabotaging this Golem, I am hopeful it will buy me a few days to come up with another plan, The director is intent on establishing a base on the other side. They still don't know that it is not the past, all though the lead Scientist his growing more concerned about the readings he is getting. My Lady I wish there was more I could do for you, I know you will defeat this Golem, you have to, I am working on getting you the tools you need to shut the wormhole down from there."

He looked around nervously.

"My lady I am not sure, but I heard the director request tactical nukes be brought to the sight, I fear that if she suspects you are fully functional she will decide to try and destroy you that way. She grows more reckless as things progress, I will do my best to stop her on my end"

With that the image faded away, Laura looked at the her double and raised an eyebrow.

"My lady?"

she seemed to blush a bit, she looked at me then at Laura.

"Laura you left me ... Well not you but you know what I mean, I was left with his family centuries ago, they had the data files and devices you had left to ensure I would be delivered to you, what can I say I got bored, I may have talked to them in their sleep..."

Laura just shook her head.

"What happened exactly to the other me Laura?"

She frowned.

"I cant tell you specifics, but I know you left the world to explore, you said as civilization advanced you wanted to minimize the impact you had, you left me a few devices, as well as some other well placed people and left by yourself."

Laura looked back at me.

"Okay we will figure this all out, Ben we are going to need to teach you some things"

The two Laura started at each other for a second.

"And we are going to have to give you some upgrades."

I nodded to both of them, we spent what felt like days going over what I needed to know, Laura studied my bodies specs for some time, the two Laura's would discuss what upgrades would work on me. Eventually they both came to me.

"Ben you are going to wake up now, the two children I told you about will be there, help them as well as you can, I need to stay here and repair myself, I am pretty severally damaged."

I nodded.

"Okay Laura, I will protect you until you are repaired"