The Reality Engine

Hi!

Thank you for reading my story.

A couple of points to know:

I don't like writing wank porn. I want to write full-fleshed stories with plot, character, drama and tension.

Events in this chapter pick up the morning after the events at the end of chapter 10.

Thank you for taking the time, and please be sure to vote and offer any feedback you can.

If you like what I do, offering feedback is the best thing you can do to help, there is nothing which aids a writer more than seeing the story through someone else's eyes.

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Chapter 11

Scott turned over in bed, and awoke with a jolt. He glanced at the clock on his desk: 4:50 AM. He jumped out of bed, and prepared for work, and then dashed out the front door of Maybe Dick Hall 20 minutes after waking up. As he walked, it was still dark outside, and there was a small amount of fresh snow on the ground which had fallen overnight. He arrived at the lab at 5:30 AM, and got to work.

An hour passed by before breakfast arrived. He stopped his work and ate, and 15 minutes into breakfast, Dr. Karlov arrived at the lab, and he also sat down to eat first.

"How was your weekend?" Scott asked, as soon as they had both finished eating and were drinking their morning tea.

"Nothing interesting happened, how about you?" Dr. Karlov asked, and, in a rush, Scott told Dr. Karlov everything, and asked for advice on how to move forward.

"A third vision, and this one far more serious than the other two, eh?" Dr. Karlov asked. "Did you have any additional visions over the weekend?"

"No," Scott said.

"Let me ask you a few questions," Dr. Karlov said. "Is there any immediate action you feel you need to take?"

Scott pondered a moment, "no," he said.

"Are there any questions you feel the need to have answered?" Dr. Karlov asked.

"The only one is where do my visions come from?" Scott asked.

"Are you satisfied with what you know about what happened on Friday night?" Dr. Karlov asked.

"Satisfied how?" Scott asked.

"With the official explanation of the crime," Dr. Karlov said. "That a man assaulted Liandra, and knocked out her date, with the intention to rape her, and then, kill her."

"That's seems solid to me," Scott said. "The coroner had a few questions about it yesterday, but he didn't seem to think it was a big deal."

"Is anything unclear to you about anything else that happened over the weekend?" Dr. Karlov asked.

"No, everything else was abnormal because of what happened on Friday night," Scott answered.

"Then it appears to me that all your concerns really boil down to one thing: where do your visions come from?" Dr. Karlov asked. "Answer that, and nothing else remains a mystery."

"Yeah," Scott said. "So far, they've only resulted in good things for me, the first allowed me to sleep with Pepper, and the third one allowed me to save Liandra. We don't know what the result of the second one will be."

"The visions themselves are not good or bad, in any moral sense. Whether they yield good outcomes or bad outcomes depend entirely upon the moral character of the person having them. In the hands of someone like you, they've yielded decidedly positive outcomes. What will be will be, and often in life, we cannot do anything about that. You have been given a gift, to be able to change the course of events for the better, once or twice. So long as you use this gift as you have to this point, it can be nothing but a positive, for you and everyone you know," Dr. Karlov said.

"So, less time worrying where it's coming from, and more time figuring out how to use it?" Scott asked.

"I have to believe that you will figure out where it's coming from in time," Dr. Karlov said. "The most important objective, however, is learning to control this gift, so that it can be a force for good."

"Thank you," Scott said, as he went to resume his work for the day.

"Might I help you for a few hours?" Dr. Karlov asked. "I know I've been hands-off recently, but a lot of the administrative work I've been busy with recently is close to wrapping up. I do have to get going at around 9 AM, but I'd like us to work together for a while."

"Sure," Scott said, with a smile, as he welcomed Dr. Karlov's assistance.

The hours passed by, and eventually, Dr. Karlov rose from his chair to leave.

"Would you like to come with me on my next appointment today?" Dr. Karlov asked.

"Sure, where are you going?" Scott asked, as he too rose from his chair, and prepared to log off the LAVCM.

"I'm headed to the world headquarters of The Farmers' and Swineherds' National Bank," Dr. Karlov said.

"Husband hunting for Elizabeth and Jessica?" Scott asked, with a wry smile.

"Also, wife hunting for two friends of mine who want wives," Dr. Karlov said, returning the smile. "This should prove to be educational, don't you think?"

"Wouldn't miss it for anything," Scott said, as he finished logging off the machine.

A drive of 20 minutes, in Dr. Karlov's car, brought them both to The Farmers' and Swineherds' National Bank world headquarters. It was, as Sonya had indicated, a massive office building complex situated to the southeast of Wassamatta U. Once inside, Scott and Dr. Karlov checked in with the receptionist at the front desk. The bank lobby was a massive structure, with walls of oak wood, a marble tiled floor, and a high, vaulted roof complete with skylights. Scott's attention was quickly caught by the singular feature of the bank lobby.

"What in the world are these?" Scott asked, as he pointed to a collection of large paintings which adorned every wall of the lobby. The paintings were each behind a bulletproof plastic barrier, to protect them from damage. Each painting was of the same prominent individual.

"These," Dr. Karlov said, as he indicated the various works of art. "Are portraits of the legendary local hero Rocket J. Squirrel executed in dyed chicken feathers and bottle caps. The old bank building, which was downtown near city hall, had a small portrait of this hero, football star, and television personality in the lobby. When the bank moved to this office some years ago, an entire series of portraits were commissioned for the new office lobby. They spared no expense, and these portraits took years to complete. Each of the chicken feathers was hand selected to be the perfect size, and then painstakingly colored just the right way. Same thing with the bottle caps."

"Why does he have goggles and a flight cap on his head?" Scott asked.

"He was known as Rocky the flying squirrel," Dr. Karlov replied.

"What happened to him?" Scott asked.

"No one knows," Dr. Karlov said. "He used to live here for many years, so the legend goes, and then, one day, he simply vanished. Inquiries were instituted as to what became of him, of course, but nothing ever turned up."

"Handsome devil," Scott said. "Bet he was a hit with the ladies."

At this moment, the lovely female receptionist, whose name was Amelia, called Scott and Dr. Karlov back to the front desk, and informed them that their appointment was ready for them.

"These portraits which adorn your lobby are really remarkable," Scott told the receptionist.

"Thank you," Amelia said. "They are taken from every part of his life. If you look over on the west wall, for example, you'll see Rocky in a team photo of the 1963 Wassamatta U football team. He made all conference that year as both a center and a wide receiver. He still holds the school's single season record for receiving yardage in a season, and that was back at a time when the forward pass was a relatively modern invention."

"He must have been really ahead of his time," Scott mused. "To be able to play offensive line and wide receiver? That's some real flexibility."

"Over on the east wall, is a portrait of him posing with Mr. Friendly, this bank's founder," Amelia said. "The bank was robbed by that notorious no-goodnick, that devious criminal mastermind, Baby Face Braunschweiger, and his infamous gang, the Light Fingers Five, minus two. Rocky, with the help of his best friend, Bullwinkle J. Moose, recovered the money, returned it to the bank, and captured the crooks."

"Football star, and he foils bank robberies too?" Scott asked.

"He absolutely did all that, and did many other things besides," Amelia said. "You are welcome to come back here anytime you like to inspect all the portraits detailing his adventures. Now, please come with me, it would not do to keep your appointment waiting."

"Who are we here to see, anyway?" Scott asked.

"Theodore and Franklin Digit," Dr. Karlov said.

"The name sounds familiar," Scott replied.

"I should think so," Dr. Karlov said. "Their grandfather was the famous mathematical celebrity Dr. Isosceles Digit. Dr. Digit had a passion for football too, as he designed plays for Wassamatta U's 1963 football team, which is the only championship team in school history."

"Their grandfather sure had a funny name," Scott said.

"Well, their great-grandfather was also a renowned mathematician," Dr. Karlov said. "He named his son after his passion for the subject. It could have been worse, you know. I once knew an undergraduate student who named his dog Eigen Vector."

A moment later, and Scott and Dr. Karlov were shown into a small conference room on the bank's second floor. There, waiting for them, were two middle-aged gentlemen, who were clearly brothers. Dr. Karlov exchanged a hug with his two friends, and introduced Scott to them. It was quickly established that Theodore (who went by Ted) was the older brother at 36 years old, while Franklin (who went by Frank) was the younger brother, at 34 years old.

"Have you really found two girls who might be willing to marry us?" Ted asked.

"Yes, indeed, the receipts are on my phone," Dr. Karlov said, as he produced his cell phone, and showed the two brothers Elizabeth and Jessica's marketing materials. Seeing it all for a second time, Scott had to admit it was an impressive piece of work. These two ladies knew precisely what down-on-their-luck middle-aged men, who desperately wanted to marry and have a few kids, most wanted to see.

"Have mercy," Frank said, as he pointed to an image of Jessica, posed face down, ass up, reaching behind herself and pulling open her butt and pussy.

"Jesus," Ted said, as both men sweated a little, and the temperature in the room increased. "My God, she's lovely."

"That is an amazing poop hole, and I'll bet it stinks like hell," Frank said, as he sighed.

"Indeed it is," Ted said. "Her light brown skin makes her lovely dark shitter look even lovelier by the contrast. What about the other girl?"

Dr. Karlov showed them what he had of Elizabeth. Both brothers were extremely impressed as the show went on.

"Well?" Dr. Karlov asked, once the presentation was over. "Do you want to meet them?"

"How old are they?" Ted asked.

"They are both 22 years old, and will finish school in five months, with a graduation date in mid-march," Dr. Karlov said.

"You're sure they are willing to marry and have children right away?" Ted asked.

"Yes," Dr. Karlov said. "They both came from big families, with stay at home mothers."

"What do you think, Frank?" Ted asked.

"I'm willing to meet them," Frank said. "I don't think they'd marry us if we asked them to, but our situation is desperate, and we must leave no stone unturned."

"Yeah," Ted said, as he slapped his brother on the shoulder. "They are former party girls, and there is no way we could give them a life with the level of excitement they are accustomed to. We should meet them, but let's not get our hopes up."

"I've met Elizabeth and Jessica," Scott said, as he was deeply puzzled by this conversation. "Both of you would be an excellent catch for them. You are both young men in your mid-30s with at least a decade of time left to find a wife. Neither of you are old men who are running out of time, so why are you both so desperate?"

"I'll field that question," Ted said, exchanging a knowing glance with his brother. "It's because of our employment situation. You see, this bank is a family business owned by a man named Donald Friendly, whom we all call Don. Mr. Friendly's grandfather started this business two generations ago, and met our grandfather when he came to teach at Wassamatta U. The two men bonded over their shared love of the 1963 championship football team, and our families became very close. Mr. Friendly, in keeping with his core business value of treating this bank like a family first, and a business second, is keen on employing only family oriented men and women in his ranks. Put simply, our lack of success in convincing a woman to marry either of us has reflected badly on our careers. We need wives, and a couple of children early in marriage, not just because we so desperately want them, but also because it will help us to move up at the bank."

"Well, this bank has grown a lot in the last two generations, so it's difficult to fault Mr. Friendly's business instincts," Scott said. "I suppose familial working relations create a strong sense or purpose and kinship."

"Well, it's not totally above the board, if we're being honest," Frank said. "Mr. Friendly likes to throw wild sex parties where married couples do the deed in front of everyone else."

"What?" Scott asked, his jaw hanging open with shock.

"He says it encourages team work and camaraderie," Ted said. "While it certainly does that, I think the old horn dog just enjoys watching the people he employs fuck around."

"Have you two attended such parties?" Scott asked.

"Sure, we get invited because we're part of the family," Ted said. "There are contests, and prizes, and there's broad acclaim, not to mention promotions, for those who perform well and give everyone else a hot flash. Mr. Friendly wants his top people to have sex with their spouses, and have big families with plenty of children and love. He promotes accordingly."

"Did you know about this?" Scott asked Dr. Karlov, trying to suppress a laugh.

"Sure, do you remember the receptionist who helped us downstairs?" Dr. Karlov asked. "Her husband is the Chief Technology Officer at the bank, and they have eight kids together already, and, from what I'm told, have done very well in the sex contests."

"Have you been to these parties?" Scott asked Dr. Karlov, not believing such things were real.

"No, since I'm not employed at this bank, and the guest list is restricted to employees and their families only," Dr. Karlov said. "However, I have heard much."

"Be honest, Scott," Ted said. "if you worked at a place like this, with such incredible employee moral, and in which you could routinely watch your co-workers fuck each other, would you ever want to leave?"

"Now that you mention it, no, I'd probably want to stay here forever," Scott said, as he laughed, and the other three gentlemen laughed with him.

"These parties are all fun and games, if you're married and you have someone to perform with," Ted said. "They are a quiet hell if you don't. Forced to watch all your friends and co-workers have all the fun, and get all the glory, while you just sit around, nervously sip your drink, and try to act supportive, but secretly burn with envy."

"Every time you go, it gets harder, literally and figuratively," Frank said, with a laugh.

"Well, if I know Elizabeth and Jessica, modesty and sexual restraint are not two things they're known for," Scott said. "If you want wives who will leap to an endeavor like this, you could wish for no two better girls than them."

"That's just what we wanted to hear," Ted said. "I do hope this works out."

"Based on what I know about them, if the prizes for these sex contests are good enough, that might be all that is required," Scott said. "They are both really slutty."

"Precisely why I came to you two gentlemen first," Dr. Karlov said, as he and Scott rose to leave. "You seem perfectly matched: you want a wife, and kids, not just for domestic bliss, but also for career advancement. They want an easy life as stay-at-home moms, and their innate sluttiness ensures you a good showing come contest time, and they'll get the public adoration that goes along with being top performers. This seems like a perfect match."

With a good-bye exchanged, Dr. Karlov indicated he'd be in touch about arranging a first meeting. As they drove back to the lab, Dr. Karlov noticed that Scott was uncharacteristically quiet.

"Something on your mind?" Dr. Karlov asked.

"I wish I could get an invitation to the sex contests held by The Farmers' and Swineherds' National Bank," Scott said.

"I've thought the same thing myself, many times, over the years," Dr. Karlov replied, with a chuckle.

"How in blazes can something like this keep going on for so long and be kept secret?" Scott asked.

"It's kept a secret because the guest list is exclusive," Dr. Karlov replied. "To get invited, you have to be employed at the bank, but not every employee gets an invitation. They sound you out first, and ensure you'll be discreet about this kind of thing. Also, the bank is a family business, and there is a lot of nepotism at work in its ranks. Children and grand-children of the staff from the bank's founding are now the senior staff. Everyone not only knows everyone else, but most of them grew up together, and have been acquainted since childhood. It's easier to keep secrets when you're like Ted and Frank are, practically family, who have known about these contests since birth, and for whom it's not unusual. They value trust over all other things at that bank."

"Then why did they tell me?" Scott asked.

"They told you because you came with me," Dr. Karlov replied. "They know I would not bring someone with me who I did not trust to be able to keep the secret. You follow?"

"So, you vouched for me just by bringing me into the building?" Scott asked.

"Yes," Dr. Karlov said. "That's how family businesses are. I have worked with many people at the bank for more than two decades, I'm practically family to them. You are the first assistant, out of 52, whom I've trusted enough to vouch for with them. That makes you family as well, and they will do anything for family."

"Did I just join a cult?" Scott asked.

"A large family shares many similarities with a cult," Dr. Karlov replied. "Impossibility of leaving, strong mutual support networks, and, of course, blind dedication to those who make up its ranks. The difference is a family is giving and loving."

"Thank you, I appreciate you trusting me, and I promise you, I won't tell anyone," Scott said.

"I know," Dr. Karlov said.

Soon enough, Dr. Karlov and Scott arrived at Water Buffalo Hall, and they separated to go about their days.

Two hours after Scott returned to the lab, lunch was served, and Scott took a break from his work to eat. He checked his phone, and saw two messages on it. The first one was from Sonya, and the second one was from Adol. He decided to return Sonya's call first, as that was probably the more important of the two.

"Hey Scott, how's your day been so far?" Sonya asked, as soon as Scott got in touch with her.

"Pretty good," Scott said. "What's up?"

"Can you be in the meeting room on the second floor of Maybe Dick Hall today at 5:30 PM?" Sonya asked. "The Deputy Director of the Residents Hall Management will be here to interview you about what happened on Friday night, and to ask you a few questions. We can all get dinner right after the meeting is over."

"That sounds fine, see you then," Scott said, as Sonya said good-bye and hung up. This complete, Scott called Adol next.

"Hey pal, what's up?" Adol asked.

"Pretty slow day," Scott said. "What can I do for you?"

"Do you know anyone who would like tickets to a football game this Saturday?" Adol asked.