The Collegeworld

Later that day he received a text from Adonis, who had embraced life in the sim and had gotten an actual mobile phone, with a plan and all.

"Wanna go to a party tonight? I invited us both," it said.

Thomas wasn't much of a party person, but it would be good to go out every once in a while. Besides, observing agents under the influence of alcohol would be a good opportunity to start spotting any particularly erratic behavior.

"Sure. Just tell me time and place," he replied.

At 10 PM they met near Alpha Alpha Alpha house. It was the best-known party fraternity on campus and it wasn't clear if any of the members in the 150-year history of the house had ever put a foot inside a classroom. Somehow, all of the alumni still ended up getting jobs at investment banks and white shoe consulting firms.

"What's up, Adonis? Not wearing your hazmat suit today, I see."

"Nah bro," Adonis replied. "I figured I might try my luck the old-fashioned way today," he grinned. "Actually, I kind of have a date here with this hottie I saw at the gym today."

"Congrats! Hope everything goes well."

"To be honest I'm a bit nervous. I guess I can just don the suit if things don't work out."

"Or you can accept that not everyone wants to have sex with you on the first date. These are humans, Adonis. It's a bit creepy to go around and fuck unconscious people."

Adonis sighed. "You have such a terrible effect on me. Before I met you I wouldn't have thought twice about this. I mean, these people were literally created for amusement of the real people. They wouldn't exist without us."

"But now they do exist," Thomas nodded solemnly. "And what your people are doing is slavery."

"Fine, fine. No trance sex from me today. Let's not ruin the mood by discussing how evil I am. Besides, I'm thirsty."

###

The ceiling of the big hall of the fraternity house was oscillating with the same frequency as the subwoofer was pumping out notes of deep bass. Thomas was sipping a punch that tasted deceptively sweet and un-alcoholic. Best be careful around that. Adonis had abandoned him a few minutes earlier after he had seen the girl, and the two had retreated upstairs to "talk about philosophy."

Thomas was happy for his friend, but at the same time couldn't help but feel jealous. How did he just randomly find a date with a girl just like that? Like, what did he say to her? How did he say it? It was unfair. Not to mention the girl was extremely hot, better than Thomas could score himself even with substantial effort.

Deep in his thoughts Thomas wandered around the house trying to see if there was anyone he knew but soon realized people he hung out with didn't frequent parties like this. Or parties in general, really. He went for the second-best option, which was the punch bowl.

The taste was terrible but free alcohol had a certain appeal, which was that it was free.

"Hey, Thomas!" a somewhat intoxicated voice sounded behind him.

Thomas turned to face Lara. She was dressed in a short, black dress that highlighted her long, well-toned legs.

"Never expected to run to you here!" she continued.

"I came with a friend," Thomas said.

"How nice! Where is he? I'd like to meet him."

"He's upstairs with a girl."

"Ooh, I see, I see. Well, hopefully I can meet him another time."

"Did you come with someone?"

"Oh God, no. Well, I asked Christine, but she wasn't feeling good. And I specifically did not come with any guys. Good riddance."

"Guy problems?"

"No more. I had something going on, but I ended it." She emptied her cup of punch.

"Sorry to hear that."

"Don't be. The guy was pushing too much, if you know what I mean."

"Is it okay for us to talk like this? You know, given that we also talk in your office?"

"Sure, why not?"

"Well, I just thought you revealing too much about yourself could somehow affect that."

"You're such a good person, Thomas. I really mean it. Worrying about that. Well, if I say something embarrassing, please just ignore it. I'd really like to keep working with you, and I think you're making such good progress."

"Thanks, Lara. I just wanted to make sure."

Lara took another sip from her cup, and then looked into it with wrinkles on her forehead.

"I think I need to go refill this. Stay where you are, I'll be back. I don't want to talk to any of the other idiots here."

"You bet," Thomas said, raising his cup at her.

Although Thomas was intimately aware of what was under Lara's dress he couldn't avoid admiring how her dress fit her backside.

"A friend of yours?"

Thomas spun around, embarrassed having looked after Lara for so long.

"Oh hi, Genevieve," he said.

"Hello."

"Are you enjoying the party?" Thomas asked.

"It's not really my type of a party. Too loud."

"You're not wrong. I can't tolerate these unless I get at least a few cups worth of this stuff down," he said, nodding to his cup.

"I'm not really into drinking. Besides, I have practice in the morning. I just came to check this place out. Curiosity, you could say."

"So how was your first day?"

"I really like the coach. I didn't meet any of the other skaters today, but will tomorrow. Which is also why I can't drink or anything."

"Honestly, you probably don't want to get too drunk in a party like this, practice or no practice."

"What do you mean?"

"Let's just say there are men here who are seeking to take advantage of girls who aren't handling their intoxication well. It's a pretty open secret."

Thomas saw something flash in Genevieve's eyes. She nodded. "Thanks for the tip, Thomas. Now I know to not come back."

"At least bring a friend," he smiled.

"Speaking of friends, where did that other girl go? Maybe you could introduce me. I'd like to meet other friends of yours."

Lara had been gone for much longer that it should take to fill her cup. Maybe she'd seen someone else she knew.

"I'm not sure, to be honest. Plans change rapidly when you're drunk."

"Aren't you worried? Given what you just said. An attractive girl drunk like that, all by herself."

"I don't think she was that drunk, but you're right. I'll go see if I can find her, just to make sure she's all right."

"How about I'll check the restroom since I need to use one anyway. What's her name?"

"Thanks, that's a good idea. Her name is Lara. Let's meet here in a few minutes."

Thomas went to kitchen and Lara wasn't there. Luckily she was tall for a girl, so she shouldn't be hard to spot. He walked from room to room and with each step a black pit grew inside him.

"Anything?" he asked Genevieve when she was waiting for him back where they started. She shook her head.

"Me neither. She said she'd come right back. I'm sure she wouldn't have left without me."

"Where else could she be?" she asked.

"Gotta be upstairs, where the bedrooms are. And that doesn't sound too good, considering."

"What are we waiting for? Let's go!"

"Genevieve, look, I greatly appreciate the help, but I think it's better I go alone. You just got here and I don't want your very promising career here at campus be tainted by any trouble that might come from this."

"I don't get it. What kind of trouble?"

"If we drag some drunk punk off her he could react a bit ugly. I'll try to find the friend I came with for backup but if not, I can handle it myself."

She looked him up and down. "You sure?"

"Yes, absolutely. I've taken some self-defense. Besides, you have a very important practice in the morning."

"It's not that important compared to this, but if you promise you'll find your friend then that's fine by me. Can you maybe text me when you find her so I know everything's all right?"

"Sure, I will do that. Have a safe trip home."

###

Thomas tried to remain calm as he ascended the stairs. He didn't have a hazmat suit available, and the nearest entry point where he could get one was too far. The second-floor corridor was long, with a T intersection at the end. He went from door to door, listening for any sounds. There were clear sounds of sexual activity going behind the third door he checked, but as soon as he heard a woman being clearly proactive in the passion he kept going. Either it wasn't Lara, or she was doing something she liked, in which case good for her.

The sixth door was cracked open and Thomas peeked in. There was a man lying on a bed, with a woman bent over him, bopping her head up and down, her lips around the man's penis. She was wearing only a g-string, with fantastic breasts, a tight body and long, blonde hair. The man, turns out, was Adonis. Thomas considered for a brief second waiting for them to get finished and then ask for help, but that didn't seem like a great option, and who knows how long his friend would last. At least he knew where to find them if things got really hairy.

Thomas kept going from door to door, cursing that he had left his tablet back home. There weren't any sounds he could hear, but he went door to door, trying to see if he could hear anything or see if the lights were on in the room. Most of the rooms were empty, given that it was still early in the evening, and the only thing he found after Adonis was another consensual couple.

Thomas was nearing the end of the left side of the T when he heard mumbling behind a door and saw that the lights were on. The door was closed, but not locked. It opened silently, and Thomas managed to peek in. He could see a man standing next to a bed, and a woman's bare legs hanging down

from the edge of a bed. The man was dressed in a suit with strange grey triangular patterns, and he was currently unbuckling his belt.

Thomas stepped in slowly, hoping the man wouldn't notice slight movement. He saw more of the girl, wearing only her underwear, and confirmed it was Lara.

The man turned. "Go away, this doesn't concern you," he said to Thomas.

Revealed, Thomas stepped fully in the room and saw that there was nobody else. Lara was on the bed, fully unconscious.

"Did you drug her?"

"I said it doesn't concern you. Just go away, little man, and forget what you saw."

The word choice was ironic given that the man speaking was quite slim, and shorter than Thomas. He had long, straight white hair. Not blonde, but actual white.

The man's face changed into a smile. "I found her like this and was just about to call for help, but I don't have a phone. Let me write a number to call and maybe you can make the call?"

The man took a pen from his pocket and motioned Thomas to come closer. "Come on, I'll write on your arm."

Thomas immediately recognized the pen. It was the same model Adonis had used to stun him earlier. He took another look at Lara and saw she was wearing one of the trance headbands.

"Oh, that's a great idea. My phone ran out of battery but I'll go downstairs to find someone who can call," Thomas said, stepping closer to the man.

When Thomas got to within an arm's reach the white-haired man swung the pen toward Thomas' outreached arm, but Thomas knew it was coming and grabbed the man's wrist with both hands. The other man was surprisingly weak, and when he twisted the arm the stun-pen fell to the floor, followed by the man. Thomas put a knee on the man's chest, grabbed the pen from the floor, and smashed the blunt end on the man's neck. He saw the man jolt violently and his eyes to go blank.

Thomas got up and rushed to Lara's side. She was breathing, and unhurt. Good. He went back to the man, pulled out his already open belt, and tied the man's wrists together with it the best he could. The belt was thin and flexible, made out of some kind of a fabric, which made it easier than with most belts.

He went back to Lara, and took off the headband, stuffing it to his pocket alongside the pen.

Her eyes opened almost immediately. "What?" she mumbled, as she sat up, eyes unfocused.

"Shh, Lara. It's me, Thomas. You were drugged but I got here in time. Everything's all right."

She rubbed her eyes and then looked at her mostly naked body. After a moment or two a realization dawned on her, and she tried to cover her body with her hands, which wasn't doing much.

"Here," Thomas said, handing her a throw blanket from a nearby chair. She covered most of her body with it and her breath seemed to calm down a notch or two.

Thomas went back to her and put a hand on her shoulder. "You're safe now. Nothing happened. He didn't even manage to undress you completely."

Lara didn't say anything but her gaze found the tied, still unconscious man on the floor. She threw her arms around Thomas, the blanked falling from her upper body, and buried her face to his neck.

"Thank you, Thomas. Thank you, thank you, thank you. I am so glad you found me."

"So am I. I couldn't find you downstairs so I thought I'd see if you're all right. Do you remember what happened?"

She pulled away from the embrace and forgot to re-cover herself. "I got more punch, when this man came to me and said something that didn't make sense. Like, 'Hello, meat', or something. I don't remember exactly. Then he hugged me or touched my head or something like that, I don't know. After that I blacked out. I'm freaked out. Did he drug me somehow?"

"He must have," Thomas said. "Maybe there's some close-range spray he used. You never know what these predators come up with."

"I'm scared, Thomas. What if he had succeeded?"

"Let's not think about that. Can you get dressed while I call the cops?"

Thomas stayed on her side the five minutes it took for the flashing blue lights to appear in front of the frat house. Lara went to stay outside the door, the still-unconscious man inside, and Thomas ran to one of the empty rooms to hide. They had agreed that Lara would say she didn't know the man who saved her. Easier for everyone this way.

###

"Bro! I came harder than I've ever done in my life last night. It's so different when a girl is awake and doing stuff on her own," Adonis' text read.

"Happy for you, but some bad stuff happened yesterday we need to talk about. Can you come here in an hour?" Thomas replied while trying to focus his half-asleep eyes on the screen.

"Yeah, sure."

The next text came from Christine, two minutes later.

"I heard what happened yesterday. Can you come outside?"

Thomas sent her a quick acknowledgement, got dressed, and went out.

###

His heart was racing as he walked out the dorm to meet Christine. He hadn't spoken to her since that day. Working on her naked body without her knowledge was very interesting in other ways but her personality had been what he'd originally fallen in love with, more than anything else.

"Hi, Thomas," she said after he sat down next to her.

"Hi, Christine."

"Are you still angry at me?"

"I was never angry at you, please believe that. I just had to work out some stuff."

"You do look changed."

"Yeah, I've been going to the gym."

"It's not just that. It's more like how you carry yourself. More confident, I think."

"Thanks, that's nice to hear. So, last night?"

"Yeah, oh my gosh. I'm so glad you found her before...you know, before. How did you find her?"

"I was looking for my friend I came with and I happened to see what didn't look like a consensual arrangement. So I confronted the guy, he attacked me, but I managed to turn things around and wake Lara."

"He attacked you? And you beat him and tied him up? This sounds like some kind of action movie, not a frat party."

"I don't think he was a student. Looked like an outsider."

"Wow, that's a scary thought. Outsiders in college parties, trying to do bad stuff."

Out of nowhere she turned and hugged him.

"I am so happy you were there! Without you who knows what would have happened. Thank you, Thomas. Thank you. Lara is my best friend and you saving her feels like you saved me. We are both in debt."

"No. I refuse to accept that debt. I simply did what had to be done. Gratitude is fine but please do not think you need to do anything special because of that. I'd do it again even if I didn't know the victim."

"Oh, okay." She looked at the ground. "Can I at least buy you dinner? Not as a repayment but as a way to catch up?"

"When? I don't mean to brush you off but I'm quite busy nowadays. I got a job and I'm also helping with this campus orientation program."

"I understand. How about Saturday? Do you think you have time?"

"That should work. I don't have a shift then and I doubt there will be orientation duties either. How about 6?"

"Yes, that's good. Do you know the new Italian place that just opened?"

"I heard of it. Great, let's meet there then."

She smiled, and he smiled back.

"Thank you again, Thomas. Lara sends her thanks too, but it will be a few days before she can thank you in person. I hope you understand."

"Of course. Send my best to her. I need to run but it was nice to see you again, Christine."

###

After he was done with Christine Thomas sent a quick text to Genevieve about what had happened and they exchanged a few back and forths spanning from shock to fear. In the end Genevieve was convinced that the campus was relatively safe but isolated incidents like this were probably enough that it was good to stay aware at all times. Sound advice in any situation.

Only, it wasn't isolated. Later that day there was a Campus Police press release about seven rapes and one attempted rape at a campus party. Only one of the suspects had been caught and anyone who had any information was strongly urged to come forward.

Total of eight instances in the same party? Had they all been by the same guy? Didn't seem physiologically possible. And they were somehow connected to the real world of Adonis and others given the guy was using the headband and the stun pen. Were they simply out of control techs doing what Adonis had been doing?

"I read the news. It wasn't me. We were fully in consensus," Adonis replied to Thomas's text.

"Can we find out if they were techs?"

"You said you took a headband from this guy? Does it have a number on it?"

"No, it just says 'Apexium mk. 3'. It does look a bit different from the ones we use."

"Yeah, that's one of the premium models in the private sector. It could be a tech got their personal unit, but with our salaries that's not too likely. My guess is they were tourists looking for some entertainment."

"Tourists?"

"Yeah, like regular dudes going out to a theme park for some good time. Kind of like bar hopping but with guaranteed sex."

"They do that? That's disgusting!"

"Thomas, why do you think this sim was built? It certainly wasn't for the personal fulfillment of agents. It's a playground for real people."

"So these guys didn't do anything illegal?"

"Not illegal, but this is something that is frowned upon. Tourists are supposed to not stand out. A simple rape in a party would not have raised any eyebrows but now cops are going to investigate and people are going to get more careful and so on. The company will probably ban these tourists if they find out who they were."

"So how can we help?"

"If they were tourists and not techs there would be access logs. Let me do a search and get back later."

Thomas was fuming. These assholes from this other world thought they could just come to his world and do whatever they want. The seven girls who got raped, plus Lara, would likely have life-long trauma from this. Eight lives harmed by dickheads who couldn't get laid on their own.

Before he realized Thomas had gone to the nearest tech entrance, gotten his hazmat suit and taken the tunnel that took him to the town jail. He exited from a janitorial closet with determined steps and started walking toward the guard's office. He knew the guard wouldn't be able to see him but couldn't help but try to be sneaky. He still didn't believe he could actually be invisible to people.