(For a full understanding of the plot, reading at least part 3 is highly recommended.)
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Chapter 17 -- Lovers United.
Alex was allowed to surf the web, subject to close monitoring by AI as well as a team of Techs just in case she tried to contact someone. But Alex knew better, there was no going back to her old life.
She could now communicate through texting with her mind. All she had to do was to try to speak the words, and they appeared on a screen.
She was a free mind, floating in cyberspace. It was unbelievable. Her body was imprisoned, but she found endless adventures and freedom.
Tears welled up in her eyes as she read all the nice things her friends and family had said about her on her Facebook profile. She read the articles about her death. Saw the hundreds of photos she had posted of her gorgeous self over the years.
She followed her parents' daily lives and watched over them. It was horrible to see them grieving, but Alex consoled herself with the thought that she left them in her prime, and she would forever be remembered as a brilliant shooting star, forever young, forever beautiful.
"You have sacrificed yourself for all mankind, Alexandria," said Professor Goldstein.
"I had no choice," she said (texted).
"Would you like to know my opinion?" asked the professor.
"Do tell," said Alex, hands on her hips.
"If you were not under duress, and offered the opportunity, you would have rejected it at first, but you'll be sleepless, the opportunity would haunt you to the point where you will accept it. It might have taken a long time, but all we had to do was plant a little seed. You were born for this Alexandria," he said. Alex knew there was some truth in it.
"I had a perfect life. Family, career, money, FREEDOM. I'm a freak now, living on life support, my body is destroyed, I have no control of it, my cunt won't even stop dripping," she texted her eyes, flashing, gesturing to her heavily modified body.
"You would have sacrificed it all, eventually, for this great adventure," said her captor, "You achieved it all, at such a young age. What else did you want? admit it Alexandria, you were getting bored by your success. You had done in all, been around the world, experienced a life that those two or three times your age would be envious of!", said the professor.
"I had a great 27 years," thought Alex, "I can always watch over my loved ones, like an Angel."
Her knowledge of every subject imaginable grew, and her memory was organized like never before. Her already exceptional IQ levels are enhanced day by day, passing the 300 mark. Time and space didn't concern her the least. She spent more and more time in the Oracle system.
She tried to find Jake, but he had all but disappeared. He had left his job two months after her abduction and was never seen since. She tried in vain to follow his trail, accessing security cameras, telephone records, and emails. She searched for his voice, a glimpse of his face, worldwide to no avail. He had just vanished. Was he part of this scheme? OR had the syndicate silenced him forever? It didn't matter now.
No firewall was strong enough to contain her, all around the world, secure bank accounts of drug lords, corrupt dictators, fronts for terrorist organizations, and the like began to empty. Suddenly, an untraceable source began sending the exact locations of wanted fugitives and terrorists.
Alex didn't require the internet for travel. Her mind could fly through space and enter locations anywhere. She used to get lost and had little control over where she ended up, but her body was her anchor and her team always brought her back. Little by little, she was able to control her "free flight", though most of the time she used the internet or telecommunication networks to arrive close to her target without getting lost.
The main objective of the project, seeing into the future, was still out of her grasp. She did have flashes of a few days ahead, but they were too fragmented to make sense.
The sophisticated AI system took too long to process tiny pieces of information, making her visions useless. The incident had already happened by the time her visions were processed.
She had to be in her chamber to achieve hyper-orgasm, for her visions to be useful.
Her first death anniversary was near. She chose the date as the day when she would become the Oracle.
Alex tried her best to enjoy the little freedom and human contact she had over the last few days. She worked out and met people. She would soon be swimming in a tank of liquid for the rest of her life, which, thanks to the machines she was hooked up to, would be decades and decades. "Up to a hundred years, "said the Professor.
A century of pleasure, suffering, and captivity. Her body would age only a little as the systems took the load off her organs and replenished her with stem cells.
Her body burnt massive amounts of energy during her orgasmic sessions. She was now permanently wet and slightly lactating, which meant she needed copious amounts of water to stay hydrated. Nutrients were pumped in through a plethora of IV lines in her collar, arms, and chest as well as directly into her brain. Her body needed twice the Oxygen as a regular human being, requiring a separate oxygenation system for her brain connected through her brain umbilical, in effect, a separate blood circulatory system, supporting her heart and kidneys was now active.
Alex had just finished her last round on the elliptical trainer. She loved working out and was sad to say goodbye to her small gym. The elliptical trainer was one of her favorites as her tubes didn't interfere with its function. She like her stair machine as well, and she felt that some of the core Oracle team liked to watch her use it.
The treadmill was difficult to use effectively as she couldn't bring her feet close enough, or straighten up enough to run effectively.
She was helped down by her assistants and left alone to recover. Her brain umbilical was supported by a strap from the ceiling, while the other two umbilicals lay on the floor.
The team would come in to clean her up for the last time in a few minutes. She would truly miss being caressed and scrubbed. It will be lonely stuck in her glass prison for a hundred years.
She was looking at herself in the mirror. She never got bored of watching the various liquids moving and life support systems working to keep her alive. Her body was tighter than ever, thanks to her high nutritional diet and rigorous exercise. Alex closed her eyes and imagined herself as she was on a vacation with Jake in the Bahamas. She had worn the skimpiest yellow bikini. She had never gone so bold before. She didn't take a single extra article of clothing that day going shopping and exploring wearing only her tiny bikini. She was the center of attention everywhere they went, Jake was shocked but loved it.
The door hissed open, and a figure walked in. She was snapped back into the present. Alex didn't turn, she was used to Hazmat-clad techs and nurses.
The man stood frozen for a few seconds. No surprise, who wouldn't? it wasn't a sight one could easily get used to.
"Alex," said a voice. She jumped.
"JAKE!" she screamed, of course, nothing came out.
She swung on the spot, got entangled in her umbilicals, and stumbled forward. The overhead support strap broke and Alex fell backward under the weight of her brain umbilical, almost snapping her neck. Jake rushed and caught her in his arms, saving the poor girl from near-certain death.
They embraced for a long time, staring at each other's eyes. She was trembling.
In the observation lab next door, the professor yelled at her caregiving team, "STOP! she'll be fine, leave them alone."
He continued, "Monitor them, have two stand by the door. Do not enter unless critical,"
The chief engineer interjected, "With all due respect, professor, we've worked so hard on this, we can't risk her safety,"
Professor Goldstein raised his hand silencing his subordinate.
