wanted to get the hell away from me. She knelt in front of the monitor and did something or other, and then crossed the aisle to where Prithi was already resting in the recliner, the helmet in her hands.
I could only hope I hadn't screwed up her chance at romance. Or lust. Or whatever. Amos was right about one thing: she needed to spend more time with real people in the real world.
"What's with your friend?" I heard her whisper.
Prithi shrugged. "He's dying. It makes him grouchy."
They shared a soft laugh. Then Prithi turned her head to me. "You're going to shadow me, right?"
"Yeah."
"Just try to relax, Baldie," Amos said. "I'll be right out here, and I ain't letting nothing get past this belly." He patted his stomach. "Hey Myra, can you switch back to that other feed? The one with the boobs."
As odd as it sounded, his words helped. Black had trusted Amos with protecting Danelle for years. He hadn't been the one who fucked it up.
"Everything's ready," Myra said. "Just put your helmets on and you're good to go." She turned her attention to Amos. "You go sit over there. The feeds are on a random algo, so no, I can't bring the breasts back. They'll cycle through eventually, and then you can get your rocks off."
"I'll take what I can get," Amos replied, heading over to the corner where she was pointing. He didn't sit, preferring to stay on guard.
I cradled the dark helmet in my hand and closed my eyes. I fought to even my breathing, to bring myself to some level of calm. I felt an urgent need to hack my lungs up, and I railed against that, too. I had to do this. I took the job. I accepted the meds. I needed to survive.
That's what I was.
A survivor.
I lowered the helmet over my shoulders, letting it cover my head and sinking back into the recliner so the special shape of the rear padding could support it. It was pitch black, and I was still in the real world.
Only for a second.
I felt the tickle of the magic as it activated along the back of my neck, giving me a momentary feeling of euphoric panic before the darkness began to fade.
I was standing on a street corner. I looked down at myself. I was shadowing Prithi, which meant she was in control. She'd given me a healthy body, good height and build, and dressed me in a tailored, pinstriped suit.
"Nice look," someone said next to me. I recognized the voice.
"Compliments to the chef," I said, turning to face Prithi. Here, she was a thin, attractive, Native American man. Azeban.
"How are you holding up?"
My heart rate had slowed a little. Like I said, I wasn't afraid of being inside. I also knew that Amos was a tank. There was nothing that would drop him before he pulled us out.
"I'm fine."
"This connection is unreal," she said. "I don't know if it's the network pipes, or the stronger magical fields. I feel totally energized."
"Are you sure that isn't because of Myra?"
She smacked me on the shoulder. "I can't believe you did that."
"I got you a potential date."
"You also completely embarrassed me. Thanks, though."
"So, what now? Sandman didn't give us any instructions."
She pointed. "You haven't looked around yet, have you?"
I followed her finger. There was a street ahead of us, and hanging off the side was a sign that resembled the famous "Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas" sign. This one just said, "Welcome, Baron."
"Not exactly subtle. Anyone who's aligned with Black is going to follow that thing."
"No, they won't. They can't see it. That particular construct is only on our node. Aldus' Blackout node."
"You're sure?"
"Very."
The road shimmered in front of us, pixels exploding out and contracting back in. When they reformed, the street was made of yellow brick.
"Nice touch," Prithi said.
"Tacky."
We started walking, following the road towards the sign. Other avatars crossed our path, seemingly unable to see us but somehow winding their way around. It was always a bit of a surprise to me to see the things people would do given full control over their appearance. Mainly because most of the people just went as people, with normal clothes and normal hair. Maybe they had switched their gender, made themselves younger, tried a new hairstyle, but for the most part they were themselves.
Mostly.
Some of the people had eight arms, others had blue skin. A few were made of metal. There was one giant brain with eyes