The Reality Engine

Hi!

Thank you for reading my story. A couple of points to know:

We've made it all the way to chapter 16, the final chapter of the story's second act. The overall plan is for this story to be told over 25 chapters, 3 acts, of 8 chapters apiece, with a final epilogue in chapter 25. The major purpose of this concluding chapter of the second act is to resolve the plot threads from act 2, and introduce the final act's central conflict, as well as to flesh out the obstacles in the path of resolving that conflict. In other words, wrap things up, and push the narrative to its end game.

I know that it is taking me longer to finish new chapters than it once was, and that is mainly due to my work picking up. I started this story as a challenge to myself to see if I could write it, and if others would like it. I remain 100% committed to finishing this story, but it may take longer than I originally thought.

Events in this chapter pick up the morning after the events at the end of chapter 15.

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.

* * * * *

Scott woke up on Tuesday morning with a start. He heard a dreadful buzzing sound, and was unsure whether it was real, or whether it was a dream. Scott looked around his room, and finally located the source of the noise: it was his phone. As soon as he realized this, he jumped out of bed, and glanced at the clock on his desk: 3:30 AM, far too early to wake, even for him.

Scott furiously opened his phone to see who had called him, if someone was trying to contact him at this early an hour in the morning, it must be an emergency, and he feared something terrible had happened. He scrolled through his list of calls, and saw Padme's number. What could she possibly want?

Scott called Padme, and after a short stage wait, her voice came through on the other end.

"Scott?" Padme asked.

"Right here, old thing," Scott said. "Are you okay?"

"Why did you just call me old thing?" Padme asked. "You've never called me that before."

"We've also never spoken at 3:30 in the morning, when I was still half asleep," Scott replied. "I think it's because I was dreaming I was in an episode of the Hugh Laurie and Stephen Fry

Jeeves and Wooster

TV show on the BBC, and part of my brain was still in that dream. Now, how can I help you?"

"I have a tiny problem," Padme said. "Can you bring a set of clothes out to Capistrano Cafe over by Felonious Floyd Hall?"

"Sure thing, but why?" Scott asked.

"I prefer to tell you in person, and besides that, I'm stuck out here and it's freezing," Padme said.

"Alright, one set of clothes delivered to Capistrano Cafe," Scott said. "My own clothes okay?"

"Just fine, and if that bundle could include a nice sweater, a coat, some heavy pants, and a pair of shoes, that would great, but I'll take what I can get," Padme said. "Please hurry, Scott."

Scott hung up the phone, dug the required clothes out of his closet, put them in a large bag, dressed himself as rapidly as he could, and dashed out the front door of Maybe Dick Hall bound for Capistrano Cafe as fast as his feet could carry him. Fortunately, due to Chad having Calculus lecture three times a week at Felonious Floyd Hall, Scott knew precisely where Capistrano Cafe was.

As soon as he arrived in front of the cafe, he looked around.

"Scott, over here!" Padme exclaimed, from behind an outdoor table in front of the cafe. Scott raced over to her, and the first thing he noticed was that she was naked. The second thing he noticed was that she had an incredibly lovely body, and that what he had seen of her in her underwear during poker nights didn't do justice to what she looked like without any clothes on at all. Scott silently handed the clothes over to her, and she began to dress, but he couldn't look away. Padme was so beautiful, and when she bent over to try to put on a pair of pants, and he saw her butt-hole poke out from her backside and her lovely pussy lips extend out right underneath, he nearly cummed in his pants.

"I could use some help," Padme said. "These clothes are a little big for me."

Scott turned on his cell phone, and by its light, he did what he could to help Padme get dressed. When they had finished, she was almost completely lost in clothes that were several sizes too large for her, but they would have to do. Slowly, they both started walking back to Maybe Dick Hall, with Scott being careful to positions his hands to keep her pants up, and to keep her covered as much as he could.

"So, it sounds like there's an interesting story behind this," Scott observed.

"Not really, typical college stuff," Padme said, smiling. "Dumb freshman girl drinks way, way too much, and lets her big mouth say way, way too much, and makes a bet she instantly regrets. Can you hang on a minute, I have to pee. Can you help me?"

Scott helped Padme move over to some bushes, and Padme removed the pants she was wearing and handed them over to Scott, and Scott watched as she peed. He could see her lovely butt on one end, and her hairy vagina gushing out piss on the other. She was a really lovely girl, and he couldn't understand how he had never noticed that before.

"This is so humiliating," Padme remarked.

"You are so very lovely," Scott said.

Padme finished peeing, and turned to face Scott, and she thrust her pussy out at him.

"You wanna fuck me?" Padme asked, smiling.

"Oh, hell yes," Scott said. "I'll settle for touching your pussy, though."

"A hero deserves a reward," Padme said. "Go ahead."

Scott ran his fingers through her hairy cunt, and then, he leaned in and kissed her on the forehead. Padme wrapped her arms around Scott, and held onto him for strength.

"Thank God I remembered how early in the morning you got up to go to work," Padme said, as she took the pants back from Scott, and put them on again. "I was left naked with only my cell phone, and after half an hour of panicking and trying desperately to stay warm, I remembered that you would be waking up to go to work in about an hour, so I called you. No one else I know will wake up for at least another five or six hours, and by that time, it will be daylight and people would have caught me naked in a public place. I am such a fucking idiot. Thanks for saving my bacon."

"What were the terms of the bet?" Scott asked.

"I had to get naked, in front of Capistrano Cafe, and I had to acquire clothes, from a male friend or lover of mine, in order to dress myself, and I have to get back to my room at Maybe Dick Hall before noon to win the bet," Padme said. "I only get access to my cell phone, and nothing else. If I win the bet, then Cassie Smith has to streak naked down Great White Way from City Hall all the way to the north entrance of campus. I can't wait to see the look on her face!"

"Cassie Smith?" Scott asked. "The one I know?"

"There's only one Cassie Smith I know, and it's the one you know," Padme said. "I know the memory of her doing her impression of a chicken laying an egg during our first poker night together still burns brightly in your mind."

"Of course it does," Scott said, as Maybe Dick Hall became visible on the horizon. "Say now, you don't suppose there's any way I could get to see Cassie streak naked down Great White Way, is there?"

"You want to see her naked again that badly?" Padme asked, as she poked Scott in the ribs.

"Like you said, her impression of a chicken laying an egg, straight out of her pussy, still burns brightly in my memory," Scott replied. "I just want an encore performance, so I can take in the subtleties and nuances of her lovely show."

"You're just a horn-dog who wants to see her push a marble out of her cunt again," Padme said, laughing.

"Well sure, but you can't question the pure artistic merits of the thing," Scott replied. "It makes for good theater."

"Don't worry about a thing, Scott," Padme said. "You're my savior and you got me out of a terrible situation. I'll make sure you get a ticket to watch Cassie Francine Smith humiliate herself by streaking butt-naked down six city blocks of Great White Way. I'll call you after I collect my winnings, and we set up a time for Cassie to pay up."

"I would be much obligated to you if you could arrange that," Scott said, sporting an erection in his pants at the thought of seeing Cassie naked again. "Now, how are you getting back into your room?"

"Rose took my room key with her, and went back to Maybe Dick Hall," Padme said. "We use your keys to get back in the building, and then, we knock on my door, Rose lets me in, I undress, give you your clothes back, and I win the bet."

"That all sounds too easy, if you ask me," Scott said. "Surely, Cassie knows about my work, and knows that I would be available to bail you out at this time of the morning."

"Maybe," Padme said, as Scott opened the door to Maybe Dick Hall. "Or, maybe she's just looking for an excuse to strip down to her birthday suit, and streak down the busiest street in town. She can always tell everyone who sees her running as fast as her feet can carry her that it's not her fault, she lost a bet."

A short while later, Scott dropped Padme off at her room, and, after Rose opened the door, and Scott got his clothes back, Scott decided to shower, shave, dress, and head off for work, seeing as how he was already quite awake. He arrived at work at 4:40 AM, and launched into the day's labor with supreme energy.

8 AM came by, breakfast was served, and Dr. Karlov poked his head in the door, and took a cup of tea and some buttered toast.

"So, what time are we going to see Eric?" Scott asked, as soon as Dr. Karlov had finished eating.

"He called me at 4 this morning," Dr. Karlov replied. "He ran up against bad weather flying out of Los Angeles in the wee hours, and he told me his plane was finally ready to depart after a long delay. He will he available to see us at 2 PM today."

"So, are we leaving at 1:30 PM?" Scott asked.

"Indeed," Dr. Karlov replied. "I will go and teach my morning class, as scheduled. Lory will bring you your lunch as scheduled, and I will return to the lab a little after 1 PM, and we can get going then."

"Sounds good to me," Scott replied. "To be honest, I could use a talk with Lory before speaking with Eric. She has a way of clearing my head, and helping me focus on what's important."

"That she does," Dr. Karlov agreed. "There are few people I know in life who radiate goodness, decency, and trustworthiness as much as Lory does."

"Is that why you employ her as a lunch delivery gal?" Scott asked.

"No, I employ her because she's reliable and a hard worker," Dr. Karlov said. "However, those other qualities don't hurt."

With a laugh and a smile, Dr. Karlov left to teach his morning class.

Moments later, in Fuggville, Calvin woke up in his bed, and saw Shauna, still asleep next to him. He smiled, and gently nudged her hair, and was about to kiss her, when a blinding flash of white light covered his eyes, and he felt his head ache slightly.

He saw a vision before his eyes. It was in the Aesop and Son ice cream parlor, and Carla was behind the counter working there. After Mia had been hired on at Aesop and Son, she had recommended her close friend to the manager when a job opening had come up, and the ice cream parlor had hired Carla to work there.

In Calvin's vision, Carla was dressed only in the blue apron that employees at Aesop and Son wore as part of their uniform, and she was naked besides that. Carla was holding a single scoop of ice cream, in a cup, with a lit birthday candle in it, and she was busy talking to a man whom Calvin had never met before. Try as he might, Calvin could not hear any of the conversation that passed between them, nor could he clearly make out the facial features or dress of the man Carla was talking to. The man leaned over, and blew the birthday candle out. Carla smiled, placed the cup of ice cream on a nearby side table, turned her body, and exposed her fully naked backside, with the exception of a few straps that tied together to keep the apron on her and in place. The man smiled, and reached out his hands to undo the straps, when a second flash of bright light covered Calvin's eyes, and he was back in his bed, with Shauna asleep next to him.

He woke Shauna up, and decided not to share what he had just seen with her, because he wasn't sure what it meant, if anything.

"Good morning, beautiful," Calvin said, as Shauna stretched and yawned.

"Good morning to you as well," Shauna said, as she rose up in bed and kissed Calvin. "We've got a busy day ahead of us, are you going to drop me off at the theater?"

"Yeah, let's get dressed," Calvin replied. Shauna was enrolled in a drama class at Fuggville Community College, and the class was going to spend the day at the local theater to learn what went into a theatrical production first hand.

"We're going to get dinner with Carla tonight, right?" Shauna asked.

"Wouldn't miss it," Calvin said. "I'll pick you up from the theater when your class is done, just let me know."

"I hate to impose on you like this, and I know you've got a ton of meetings today," Shauna said. "Getting your business off the ground should be priority one in your life."

"It's not, you will always be priority one," Calvin said, as he kissed Shauna on the forehead, and they both got up, and went to the shower to get cleaned up.

"Hey, what about my dad?" Shauna asked, as the two lovers started the shower, and began to soap each other up. "Isn't he due back home late tonight? Are you going to pick him up at the airport after our dinner with Carla is over?"

"Nope," Calvin replied. "I got a text late last night from your old man. His job is almost complete, but a last minute snag came up. He said he's going to fly back home tomorrow morning, instead of tonight, as he needs another half a day to finish everything on his plate. Don't worry, I'm on top of it, and I'll pick your dad up at the airport when he arrives."

"I'm his flesh and blood daughter, and you know when he's coming home, while I don't," Shauna said, laughing. "I didn't get that text message from him last night."

"Probably because he thought it was unnecessary," Calvin replied, as he held Shauna in his arms and kissed her, as the water ran over them. "I'm the one picking him up, you're sleeping with me, so he probably figured you'd find out soon enough."

"It's so great to have another man about the house," Shauna said, as she kissed Calvin, while he put shampoo in her hair. "My mom and I could do these things, but really, this is a man's job, and we're glad you're here for us."

"I am happy to be at your disposal," Calvin said, with a wide smile.

Back in Frostbite Falls, 12:30 PM came about, and there was a knock on the door to the lab. Scott rose to answer it, and saw Lory, standing outside with his lunch in her hands.

"How are you doing?" Scott asked Lory, as she rushed into the lab, and gave him a hug.

"Good, how about you?" Lory asked, as she went over to the table, and put down Scott's sandwich and drink.

"Can't complain much," Scott said, as he started to eat and drink. "Dr. Karlov and I are off to see the big boss today."

"Oh, you're going to see Eric?" Lory asked.

"Have you met him?" Scott asked. "I've only met him once."

"No, but I've heard the name a few times from talking with Dr. Karlov," Lory said. "I know what I need to know, that Eric is insanely wealthy, that he writes the checks that keep this lab up and running, and that those checks keep your work funded. You're not in any kind of trouble, are you?"

"I don't think so, since I was the one who called him on Saturday and asked him for this meeting," Scott said.

"Well, if you're the one who asked for this meeting, then I guess my next question is: is he in any trouble with you?" Lory asked, with a laugh and a smile.

"I'm not entirely sure," Scott replied. "I just know that this meeting is going to be really important, and I'm a bit nervous, if I'm being honest."

"When I look over your body language, you look like someone who dreads learning things that he doesn't want to know," Lory said. "I remember one of my uncles looked the same way before he went off to the hospital, and the doctors told him he had cancer. Whatever it is you're going to have to deal with, it's unlikely to be as monumental as that. If your job ends, for example, you'll get a new one quickly, and it's not really worth worrying about."

"Yeah, except, for the first time in my life, I'm really happy, and I don't want things to change," Scott said, as he briefly shared how he had a date with Cherry on Halloween night.

"Sounds to me like everything that's changing in your life is for the better," Lory said. "I can understand why you're worried about the job that made it all possible. Men who are having success with women, and getting laid regularly, never want things to change."

"Yeah," Scott said, with a long sigh. "Girls are the great mystery of life. Oftentimes, guys don't even know why we get lucky sometimes, and why most times we don't. It's the kind of thing that can make a man superstitious, like a baseball player who's on a hitting streak and won't change his lucky socks for weeks on end."

"That is a pickle, alright," Lory said. "I suppose it's why the gentleman who is perpetually unlucky in love is such a common literary trope."

"I had a dream, just last night, that I was in an episode of the Hugh Laurie and Stephen Fry

Jeeves and Wooster

TV show on the BBC," Scott said. "I really like the character of Bingo Little, and could relate to his perpetual romantic rejections."

"I watched that show, as my High School English teacher was a big fan, and I remember Bingo Little," Lory said. "I did an internet search on him, and found out he was always hatching some plot or another to get married to a woman who he considered too good for him. When he inevitably needed help to get the girl, he always dragged Bertie into the middle of it, kicking and screaming."

"Until he finally did get married, at which point, things became an even bigger mess," Scott said, laughing. "I remember the first time I read

Bingo and the Little Woman

, which is the short story where he finally clicks, and I was happy for him, but also a little sad at the same time. It was the end of an era, no more hilarious stories of misunderstandings followed by rejection."

"If memory serves, the second half of that story, told in

All's Well

, featured an even bigger mess for Jeeves to sort through than any of Bingo's prior failed romances had produced," Lory said, laughing. "You can take Bingo out of the game of finding a wife, but you can't take the game out of Bingo Little."

"No, and you know what else?" Scott asked. "Every time I recall that old BBC TV show, I always remember it as

Wooster and Jeeves

, and not as

Jeeves and Wooster.

In both the books and the TV show, Bertie Wooster is the far more interesting character of the two, and the more relatable."

"My old English teacher had the same problem," Lory said. "She told us the exact same thing: Bertie is the more interesting character, because he's the point of view character, and we see everything that happens through his eyes. Jeeves forever remains a

deus ex machina

, a device to resolve the plot, and he is always aloof to the reader, and we don't ever know him like we know Bertie. It's a lot like the other famous British duo of Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson, in its own way."

"Yeah," Scott said, as he finished his lunch, and Lory rose to leave. "What were we talking about, before we got sidetracked on that tangent, again?"