CA Chapter Nineteen (Patreon)

After they ate, they chatted while they sat around, enjoying being together again in a relatively safe space. It turned out that Tessle needed to log out to get some sleep, and then had an early shift at VaVa Voom’s, the clothing store where she and Ava had both worked, before Ava quit to help Amythyst. Reluctantly, Vexxx admitted that he also needed to sleep, and he wouldn’t be back until after school the next day.

Alpha gave him a look. “I don’t want to see you back here until your homework is done.”

His eyes slid sideways, and he shrugged. “Whatever. You’re, like, twenty, and you’re not my mom, anyway.” He lowered his voice and muttered, “Not that my mom cares.” Without waiting for a response, he stood and headed for the tent that Myles had already set up for Tess. “BBL, bi-” He slid inside, and the canvas flap cut off his last word.

Tess looked from Alpha to Myles, and then glanced at Amy.

“So, are you guys going to-” she walked her fingers toward the tent, and lifted her brows.

Alpha hesitated, not sure what to say. Tess knew Rouge, Bridget’s champion in her battle to gain the freedom to publicly release the tech that led to virtual reality. Rouge had been one of the beta testers for the long-term immersion pod, though she’d never actually used it for more than a few hours a day, but it was possible that Tess knew about the pods.

Then, she remembered that the pods were now being marketed openly, and it didn’t have to be a secret any more. If things went wrong, and Tess was caught up in the resulting snafu, she wouldn’t get in trouble for knowing, or accidentally spilling, trade secrets.

Alpha pointed to Myles, Amy, and then herself. “We’re all, um, actually in long-term immersion. Will be for another six days. Do you… know about it?”

Tess’ jaw dropped, and an accusatory finger rose to track from Alpha to Myles. “Are you kidding me? Rouge said she was testing a special pod, and when Bree released her review yesterday, Rouge was cackling like a psycho on video chat because she already has one of the new pods!”

Her blue eyes narrowed in on Alpha. “She was bummed because she has to have implants to go in long-term, and Motte absolutely refuses to let her get them, even when she turns sixteen. He says if she wants them when she’s eighteen, she can do whatever she wants, but until then, she’s out of luck. You don’t have them either. Do you?”

Alpha shrugged, grimacing. “Got them a few weeks ago. I-” she hesitated, looking at Myles, “still haven’t decided if I like them, but it is convenient.”

“Holy cats!” Tess yelped. “Have you been in this whole time? When we were doing the dungeon before, and you were always here, I thought it was because you quit work, and maybe somebody,” her eyes flicked to Myles, “was pulling strings to let you override the eight hour a day max. But you were in immersion?”

“Ah… Yes?” Alpha said, carefully.

“Oh my gosh!” Tess was practically jumping in place, now. “Rouge lives in the Midwest, so I can’t go see her pod. Can I see yours? Do you have your own?” She shook her head, blonde braids swaying. “No, you can’t. They’re crazy expensive, and you were flat broke, unless-” She looked at Myles again. “It’s yours?”

Myles had a bemused smile on his face as he watched the excited half-dwarf. “I have my own, but Alpha is immersed because her job requires it.” He nodded toward Amy. “Though I can’t tell you any more than that.”

“Can’t, or won’t?” Tess demanded, setting her fists on her ample hips as she glared from one of them to the other.

“Can’t,” Alpha replied, instantly.

“Won’t,” Myles said, grinning.

Tess threw up her hands. “I can’t even with you. You know what? I’m just not going to bother. I’m going to fly out next June for the wedding, and I’ll try Rouge’s then.”

Alpha opened her mouth, then closed it again, realizing that she had no idea where she’d be in a month, much less next year. If she succeeded in helping Amy, and if Amythyst came through on her promise to help Alpha win any lottery in the world, then she could buy a pod for herself, and one for Tess, too, no matter how much they cost.

She was so busy pondering all the what-ifs, that she almost missed the look on Myles’ face. “What wedding?” he asked, sounding genuinely shocked, and his face went completely blank for a flickering half of a second. When his eyes focused again a moment later, he started laughing.

Tess and Alpha just stared at the cackling madman, and he seemed completely unable to stop. Finally, Tess sidled closer to Alpha and whispered, “Did I say something funny?”

Myles actually had to knuckle tears from his eyes before he could pull himself together enough to speak. “Ohhhh,” he sighed, “that’s… hilarious.”

Tess was starting to look a little annoyed. “Is it people getting married that’s funny, or me going to a wedding? Because I’d really like to know.”

Myles shook his head, wiping away one last tear. He waved a hand. “No, no, I’m sorry. It’s not… I just can’t…” He hesitated, tapping his chin awkwardly. “I can’t actually explain. Just… I promise you’ll find out on your own. Soon. Soonish, anyway.”

Tess sighed, tugging at one of her braids. “Dude, you are weird, but whatever.” She looked back at Alpha. “I have about two minutes before my eight hours are up, so, um, I guess I’ll see you when I get back.” She gave Myles the stink eye. “And you, too.”

Myles just grinned unrepentantly, and Tess smiled back reluctantly, shaking her head. Without another word, she followed Vexxx into the Tent, though once she entered she’d be in her own tent-sized room, so she wouldn't have to share with the annoying teenager. The tent kept its occupants safe from monsters and inclement weather alike, so Alpha and Myles didn’t have to worry about leaving them behind, if they decided to go exploring before the two returned.

Once she was certain Tessle was gone, Alpha turned to Myles. “What was that all about?”

Myles shook his head stubbornly, though the corners of his mouth twitched uncontrollably. “It’s not my secret to tell. Just, last time I checked, one of the two people who are getting married was still trying to talk the other one into it, so I did a little digging to figure out what changed, and…” His green eyes sparkled. “Let’s just say that they’re all about to live in interesting times.”

Alpha blinked. “Isn’t that a curse?”

The grin he’d been trying to suppress bloomed into its full glory. “That’s what makes it fun.”

(===||:::::::::::::::>

While Alpha’s body was technically resting during her immersion, her mind was exhausted, and she, too, decided to rest for a while. She could, technically, sleep in the tent, but Amy couldn’t, since once she went into the personal instance inside, they wouldn’t be able to tell her when to come back out. So Alpha pulled everything soft out of her inventory, and made three beds on the ground. She had Amy lie down in one, and Toggle crawled into the smallest one gratefully. The poor gnome was asleep the moment his head hit the Wolf Hide that served as his pillow.

Once the other two were settled in, Alpha tucked the glowstone Vexxx had left for them beneath a cloth, dimming its light, and climbed into her own bundle of furs and fabric. As she pulled a Tattered Shroud to her chin, she fought against the weight of her eyelids as she looked up at Myles, who sat beside her, since, as an AI, he didn’t need to sleep.

“Do you miss it? Sleeping?” she asked, softly.

He shrugged, a wry smile crossing his lips. “Sleeping? No. Dreaming?” He shrugged and looked around. “All of this is, in a way, based on dreams. So, maybe I do nothing but dream.” His voice lowered. “Maybe I am nothing but a dream.”

Rolling over in her plush, thick nest, Alpha slid a hand out from under her blanket and tentatively touched Myles’ hand. “You’re more than that.” Cautiously, she curled her fingers around his. “You’re more real than anyone else I know.”

Myles’ fingers closed around hers, but he didn’t reply. They sat in silence for several long heartbeats, and Alpha was nearly asleep when Myles spoke again.

“What do you think of her? Amy, I mean.”

Alpha had to force her eyes open again. “You said she’s getting better, right?”

He sighed. “I think so. But I may be… indulging in wishful thinking. But Millie was one of Amy’s additions to the quest line.” He chuckled. “I remember Bridge saying they didn’t need a cook. She didn’t even know how to work her into the story. I - Amy - told her to make it work, because everybody needed a fabulous cook. That was the same night Amy let Bridge make the last version of her backup, so if they actually planned Struthio and the ostrich arc, I don’t know about it, but…”

His voice trailed off, and he shifted awkwardly. “I guess what I’m saying is that it was a good sign that Amy remembered Millie. If she did remember her, and wasn’t just repeating what Tess said.” Alpha squeezed his fingers, but didn’t know what to say, so she just stayed silent. He went on without any further encouragement, though.

“I’ve been carefully cutting back on her drug feeds. The pod is set up to give a patient their medications intravenously. Honestly, she’s not on much anymore, but there are a few that are… questionable. One is supposed to be a liquid supplement. She doesn’t eat well, so she could easily become vitamin deficient, and it makes sense to have her on it when she’s awake. But the pod is designed to provide those, so doubling it up doesn’t make sense. So I changed the settings, and gave her just a little less than she’s prescribed, and it seems like she’s better.”

His head fell back, and he drew in a deep breath. “Unless I’m imagining it. Unless I’m seeing what I want to see. Unless this really is all she’s capable of, and she’ll never get better. If they really have been providing the excellent treatment her records show, then the odds that she’s actually going to get better are… low.”

Alpha rolled her head to the side, trying to make out enough detail to tell what Myles was feeling. “You think you’re wrong.”

Slipping his hand from hers, Myles pulled his knees to his chest, hugging them tightly. “Maybe,” he admitted, voice muffled and strange. “Maybe I really am going crazy. Paranoid. Delusional, just like Bridget thinks.”

With great difficulty, Alpha managed to sit up, forcing her tired brain to focus. Reaching out, she set her hand on his shoulder, only to find herself touching Amythyst, instead of Myles. The thin cotton of a modern t-shirt covered softer, rounder shoulders than Alpha had expected, and she jerked back in surprise, then replaced her hand, forcing herself to ignore the change.

“You’re not crazy. You’ve been completely right so far. Amy is alive, and her father paid off who-knows-how-many people to convince everyone that she’s dead.”

“Four,” Amythyst said, and she sniffled slightly as she lifted her head from her knees. “It only takes four people, and a little over a million dollars, to establish proof of death. And one crazy AI to refuse to believe.”

Alpha leaned in, wrapping her arms around the other woman. “You’re not crazy,” she murmured into honeysuckle-scented hair. “You may be wrong, but you’re not crazy. I promise.”

Amythyst’s hand closed around Alpha’s. “Would you tell me if I were?”

Alpha nodded, feeling soft strands of hair shift against her cheek. “I will.”

A tension Alpha hadn’t realized was there left Amythyst’s shoulders, and they slumped. “Then I’ll believe you,” the other woman whispered. She turned her head slightly, so their faces were only an inch or so apart, and they stared at each other as Alpha’s heart pounded in her chest. Then, Amythyst squeezed Alpha’s hand and stood up, gently shaking off her embrace. Without looking back, she crossed over to stand beside the tent, her body shifting in the muted light until it was Myles who glanced at Alpha, still kneeling beside her bed.

“You’d better get some rest,” he said.

She nodded, heart in her throat, and turned away to burrow back into the pile of furs and cloth.