Author's note - Hey all, third post, which pushes it just past fifty thousand words already, and it looks like this is turning into my longest and most complicated novel yet, because I'm just now starting to write the part where the main plot goes out of control (not this post, the next one), where most of my books are done at this point or tying things up. Anyway, enough of my rambling and on with the story...
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Chapter Sixteen
"Hey beautiful," he said with a smile.
Mia grinned, "Welcome back Ted. I heard you ran into a fan."
She caressed his face, and then got out of bed.
"Where are you going, and what fan?" he asked curiously.
She giggled, "Dinner, then your surprise should be here. Oh... that Bob fellow, he posted about his Ted sighting on Facebook, and the damned thing went viral."
He groaned and rolled out of bed.
She shrugged and added, "It's actually a good thing, gamers as a whole are pretty much on your side, and it's getting a lot of play in social media, and a few news reports. Unfortunately, Senator Jones also gave another interview, and indicated he would be pursuing legislation to close up this hole in the original law."
He frowned and felt a cold shiver down his spine, "That's ridiculous, how could his investigation take a day? Even assholes don't move that fast. No one in the government does."
She stopped halfway down the hall and gave him a hug, and a soft kiss, "I agree, I think he had all the data compiled and a bunch of scientists ready to give their professional opinion on it. Which means the leak on this project is older than just three days ago. There's a high probability the senator was aware and waiting for the first test subject to be hooked up.
"It's possible he'd heard of it first from someone in the government, when the procedure was approved I mean. It should have been kept top secret but..." she shrugged helplessly, and headed toward the kitchen.
She added as she pulled stuff out of the fridge, "It's not all bad, several commentators found his quick turnaround suspicious, and some of the other senators are coming down on your side using the quality of life argument. They also strongly pointed out that you won't live past your body's demise so no digitization has taken place. Still, it's too early to call any results, he'll be introducing a bill next week to a committee, and luckily there is no way to rush that to a vote."
He took a deep breath and tried to relax. What could he really do about it? Even if he had a human body back in the real world, all he'd be able to do is blog his opinion and write his senator, which...
He asked, "What if..." he trailed off and shook his head as the idea died half born. He wouldn't be able to blog or talk about it on a news show or something like that. Confidentiality agreements and all that. He'd have to depend on others to fight this for him, "Never mind, what's for dinner, and what can I do to help?"
She smirked at him, "You just want to be close enough to me to swat my ass."
He tried to look innocent, but she clearly wasn't buying it. He also couldn't help but stare, she wore a pair of daisy dukes that hardly covered her ass at all, and had on a strapless sports bra.
She giggled nervously and backed against the counter when he suddenly got up and rounded the kitchen island like a man on a mission.
He stepped into her and leaned down, and kissed her softly, and gently.
She sighed in pleasure and relaxed her whole body into the sweet, loving, and slow kiss.
He tried not to grin as he grabbed her hair, twisted her around and bent her over the counter.
She gasped and squirmed at his perfidy, "You cheated!"
He laughed, and swatted her ass, hard, once on each cheek. Then he rubbed the red spot softly in circles. He tenderly kissed the side of her neck, released her, and then got started on the vegetables.
"You enjoyed it," he said in a calm teasing voice. He was as hard as a rock, but he was enjoying the playful game too much to take her right now. Although it was rather tempting, they hadn't done it on the kitchen counter yet.
She tried to glare, but the flushed and heated look on her face was all the proof he needed...
They continued to tease each other throughout dinner, both the cooking and eating of it. It was actually really fun, and she got the better of him a few times. After dinner they cuddled up on the couch, he couldn't wait to get her into bed later, and if he was any judge she wanted it to.
He also had that bill stuck on his mind, he knew it would be fought. By the company, supporters, and even other severely handicapped people. He just wished he could do something more than be a simple bystander. He played with Mia's hair absently, he loved her hair, while he considered it, and other things.
Another thought on his mind was he definitely had feelings for Mia, there was no doubt in his mind. Otherwise he'd have just taken her over the counter earlier, but he found the teasing, bantering, and her stimulating conversation enthralling and wanted to drag the fun out. It'd only been a few days, but if he wasn't in love yet, it wasn't going to take much longer he didn't think.
Even more proof of that was the fact he thought he was more worried about losing her, than being stuck in an unresponsive body in the real world. Definitely not something just lust and good sex could account for.
He also wondered what his surprise was, he'd tried to tickle it out of her earlier, but she wasn't talking, not even under that dire torture. He'd have tried a spanking, but he was positive that would end his game and he'd wind up taking her hard and fast, wherever they happened to be in that moment.
All of that percolated in his mind, while they'd been looking at posts, and short clips that showed both supporters and people against the procedure. He was surprised at the amount of fear and vitriol that still existed toward A.I.s and the online world. Without any proof or backup, they were convinced the machine revolution was just a matter of time. Prejudice was a terrifying thing, and it turned normally intelligent people into an unthinking angry mob, logic couldn't fight that kind of thing.
Despite all the bad things, Mia's presence worked to sooth him, and kept him from going over the edge into anger and panic about it. He just had to trust that Cyber Dreams, Helen, and all the others would keep his real body safe while he lived a life in this virtual world. All it would take is one competent attack, rather than idiots throwing alcohol bombs, to end his life. He wouldn't even see it coming.
That was his greatest fear outside of losing the woman he was beginning to love, that he wouldn't see it coming, and one day he'd just... disappear.
Chapter Seventeen
