Note: This story was dynamically reformatted for online reading convenience.
 
 Author: Hungry Guy
Title: VIRTUALLY REAL
Summary: He has fun building a virtual reality system.
Keywords: MF M/F Mpov Mdom Fsub cons reluc nc caution.
Language: english

   VIRTUALLY REAL BY: Hungry Guy (hungry@stoolmail.zzn.com)

   A hacker sat at his PC late Friday evening.  Computer magazines,
programming books, and software packages lay scattered everywhere--jammed
in overstuffed plain wooden shelf units, on the desk, on the night tables,
on the loveseat, and on the king size double bed.  The hacker, also known
as Erin, was a tall skinny nerdy looking geek of about 35, wearing old
jeans and an AOL tee shirt.  He pored over numerous tattered and dog-eared
books with such titles as, "The Brain-Computer Interface", and "Principles
of Cortical Detection and Stimulation." He reached across his desk to grab
a slice of pizza and took a swig of a can of Jolt Cola, then proceeded to
make some changes to a program displayed on the screen of his computer.

   He picked up an old bicycle helmet, which has been altered by the
addition of all manner of small antennas and wires fastened all over the
top of it.  He grabbed a length of ribbon cable from under his desk and
plugged one end into the helmet and the other end into the parallel port on
the back of his computer.  Standing up from the chair, he walked over to
the bed and shoved the pile of books off onto the floor.  Placing the
helmet on his head, he lay down on the bed and went limp.

   ***

   _Standing in the center of a large medieval throne room, Erin, a tall
skinny nerdy looking geek of about 35, wearing old jeans and an *Quark's
Bar* tee shirt, whirled around._

   _"Behold, my kingdom!" he shouted as he walked around the huge
ornamental stone room._

   _"What detail!  Incredible!  I should be proud of myself!"_

   _He took a deep breath and let it out slowly._

   _"Ahhhhhh.  A bit musty though.  I think I'll take that out."_

   He walked up to the massive wooden throne in the center of the room.  It
was standing upon a raised section of the stone floor.  Its cushions were
luxurious violet silk, and it was curtained in sheets of red, blue, and
green pleated sheets of silk._

   _"Aaaaaaeaaaah," as he took his rightful place upon the throne.  He sat
for a few minutes and began tapping his fingers on the arms of the throne.
"Let's check out the rest of my kingdom." He said to himself._

   _Erin exited the massive castle, crossing between two guard towers and
across the narrow wooden drawbridge.  He walked down into the village where
the empty streets, lined with quaint wooden shops and houses, crisscrossed
at odd angles.  Several streets came together in the square where, in the
center, a large ornamental well stood proudly, its bucket swinging in the
cool breeze.  Erin sat on the edge of the well and dropped a coin into the
water below with a plop.  "I wish I knew how to program sentience."_

   ***

   Erin sat at his computer nearly all day Saturday, keying in another
program, this time poring over a journal titled, "Consciousness Explained."

   ***

   _Erin sat upon his throne in fine saffron robes, wearing a bejeweled
gold crown upon his head.  Two of his subjects faced him from a respectable
distance._

   _"My subjects!  Bow to your king!" The two men leaned forward in
unison._

   _"You may rise.  What causes you to seek an audience with your king?"
Silence.  "Well, speak up!  Tell me your names!"_

   _"I.  Am.  Alpha."_

   _"I.  Am.  Beta."_

   _"How are you feeling, Alpha?  Are you comfortable?"_

   _"I.  Do.  Not.  Feel.  I.  Do.  Not.  Experience.  Comfort."_

   ***

   He sat staring at the screen until Saturday evening drew near.  With a
sudden start, he let out a whistle!  "Spot!  C'mere boy!  C'mere Spot!"

   A small brown terrier came running into the room.  "Good boy!  Sit,
Spot! Sit!  Now, stay.  Stay!  Good boy!"

   Erin placed his bicycle helmet on the dog's head.  The dog collapsed to
the floor in apparent slumber as Erin keyed something into the computer. 
The hard drive light flickered for several minutes then stopped.  The dog
opened his eyes and looked up at Erin.

   Erin removed the helmet from the dog.  "Here, boy.  Want a doggie
biscuit?  Good boy!"

   The dog ran out of the room attacking his biscuit.  Erin lay back down
on the bed and placed his helmet back on his own head.

   ***

   _Erin sat at his throne, his loyal dog by his side._

   _"Spot!  Fetch!" He tossed a ball over to the far end of the throne
room. The dog bounded after it and returned, dropping the drool covered
ball at Erin's feet, jumping and barking excitedly.  "Good boy, Spot!  Real
good boy!"_

   ***

   Erin stared into the screen, his chin resting in his palms with his
elbows on the desk.  His eyebrows shot up and he rapidly began to key in
another program as the Monday morning sun started to rise.  He checked his
watch and jumped up out of the chair scrambling to take off his jeans while
replacing them with a pair of dress pants.  He pulled a dress shirt on over
his tee shirt and ran out of the house as he grabbed a tie from his closet.

   The workday at the hi-rise offices of Megatelco Corporation in
Piscataway New Jersey began promptly at 9:00.  Erin arrived early Monday
morning.  Of course he dreaded this day.  It was his birthday, and there
was no way of avoiding his Birthday Beating.

   Birthday Beatings were the brainchild of Glenn.  Glenn was a member of
the team of programmers of which Erin was also a member.  Erin had endured
several Birthday Beatings so far.  Often, they involve tossing the victim's
overcoat over his head and giving him a gentle pounding.  Women were not
excused from the practice either.  It was more of a psychological trauma
than a painful one.  Still it was unpleasant.  Yet he dared not protest. 
The Birthday Beatings had the blessing of the immediate staff manager and
the staff manager's District manager.

   A few years ago, some chap, a Bernhard somebody, complained about the
Birthday Beatings to a different staff manager other than his own, but
under the same District manager--and he became the victim of a cruel
practical joke.  A few days after the allied manager went to the District
manager to resolve the problem, the District manager called up his Division
manager saying that he had overheard Bernhard making a bomb threat against
the company.  The Division manager called the police, duped into falsely
accusing Bernhard of making the bomb threat.  The innocent chap was fired
and went through a bloody hell of an ordeal to clear himself.

   Thus, Erin endured the Birthday Beatings.

   ***

   The remainder of the workweek was uneventful, and Erin made little
progress in his virtual world.

   That Thursday, Erin decided to forego his forays into virtual reality
and attempt a go at real reality for an evening.  He browsed the personals
and answered "Intelligent Woman Seeking Intelligent Man." He called up
"Intelligent Woman" and they hit it off straight away.  The following
evening, Friday, he drove to her flat and picked her up that night and
drove to a restaurant for dinner.

   On the way there, she asked, "Would you mind stopping up ahead here at
the betting parlor for a second.  I want to pick up my State Lotto ticket.
I buy one every day, you know."

   He stopped, and she got her tickets.  Continuing on the way to the
restaurant, Erin explained, "The State Lotto is a tax on the ignorance of
probability theory, you know."

   "What rot is that you say?  I just won $150.00 last week!  A couple of
years ago, I won $200.00!"

   "But if you buy one ticket a day, you're paying $365.00 a year to win
$200.00 every couple of years.  Instead, why don't you put a dollar into an
envelope every day, and when your numbers come up, take the money out of
the envelope.  I guarantee you'll win more than $100.00 or $200.00 every
time your numbers come up."

   "Why should I?  It's the only way I can save money.  What if I stop
playing and my numbers came up?  I'd lose hundreds of dollars.  So don't
tell me what I should do!"

   "I'm not telling you what to do.  I'm just pointing out that you're
losing money playing the State Lotto.  If you're doing it to save money and
you enjoy the gambling part of it, you can at least break even by playing
it like I've explained."

   "How dare you tell me what to do!  And how do you really know I'm losing
in the long run, eh?"

   "Because I can count!  It's obvious!  $365.00 a year to average $100.00
a year back is losing money.  I'm just explaining that to..."

   "I can't deal with this!  Let me out!  I'll find my own way home!"

   "Don't be silly, I'll take you home."

   "Stop the car right now, or I swear I'll scream out the window!"

   He let her out and drove home, all the while muttering about so-called
"intelligent" women.

   ***

   Erin awoke early that Saturday morning.  He made himself up quickly and
drove down to the local shopping arcade.  He stopped in front of "Exotic
Pet Shoppy" and entered.  He glanced at the kittens and puppies and
tropical fish as he walked through to the rear of the store where the
exotic animals are on display.  He stopped in front of a large cage
labeled, "Ixblat." Inside was a small chimpanzee.  "May I help you, sir?"
asked the young female clerk.

   "Yes, please.  How much is the chimp?"

   "The chimp is eight hundred and fifty American dollars, sir, plus VAT.
He's really cute.  Would you like to hold him?"

   "Yes, please!"

   "His name is Ixblat.  Hold him like this."

   "Uh.  He won't..."

   "No, he won't!  Though he'll need to wear a diaper if he were to be
allowed to run around loose."

   "What's your return policy?  Just in case he doesn't take to me?"

   She raised an eyebrow at him before answering.  "You have thirty days to
return him for a full refund.  But we will check to see that he hasn't been
abused."

   "Okay, fine, I'll take him."

   "Oh!  Good!  He comes with the cage here, and his toys, but you'll have
to buy a bag of his food."

   "That's fine."

   "Good!  Follow me up to the register, please."

   ***

   Spot ran and hid when Erin brought the chimp into the house.  Erin went
and found him under the sink.  "Don't worry, boy!  The chimp will only be
here for a few weeks!"

   ***

   _Once again, Erin sat upon his throne to address those who seek an
audience with their king.  One lone man in plain white robes stood before
the throne, looking rapidly left, then right.  "Speak to your king!" said
Erin._

   _"Aaaaaeeeeeeeccchhh!  Aaacch!  Aaacchh!" The man jumped and spun around
and ran over to one corner of the room.  Erin jumped down from his throne
and ran after him.  "Ixblat, don't be afraid!  It's just a game!"_

   _Ixblat ran along the wall away from Erin.  "Aaaaaaeeeeeeeech!  Oooh! 
Oooh!  Eeeeeeeeech!" Ixblat stopped to tear his robes off, and then
continued running wildly around the throne room naked.  After a few
moments, he sat and started scratching his bum._

   ***

   Lunchtime at Megatelco Corporation was from noon to 13.00.  Gary got up
from his terminal to leave for the cantina.  As he walked past the cubes of
his co-workers, he noticed Erin unconscious in his chair wearing a
strangely modified bicycle helmet wired to a laptop PC on his desk.  "Hey!
Erin!  Wake up!  You okay?" Gary glanced down at another similar helmet,
also wired to the PC, on the extra chair in the cube.

   Curious as to what game his colleague might be playing, Gary sat in the
chair and donned the helmet.

   ***

   _Gary suddenly found himself in the town square of a medieval village.
The town was eerily silent except for a dog barking near by and the
occasional screeching of monkeys off in the distance.  One seemingly blind
man walked through the square.  "Hey!  Hey you!  Where am I?" The man
ignored Gary and entered a side street.  "Where are you going!  Where am
I?"_

   _Gary looked around quickly.  Seeing no other activity, he started to
shout._

   ***

   Suddenly, Gary was, once again, sitting in that Erin's cube back at the
office.

   Gary looked Erin in the eye.  "What was that?  Where was I?"

   "What did you think of my virtual reality world, Gary?" Erin asked.

   ***

   _Gary suddenly found himself in the town square of a medieval village.
The town was eerily silent except for a dog barking near by and the
occasional screeching of monkeys off in the distance.  One seemingly blind
man walked through the square.  "Hey!  Hey you!  Where am I?" The man
ignored Gary and entered a side street.  "Where are you going!  Come back
here!  Help me!"_

   _Gary looked around quickly.  Seeing no other activity, he started to
shout.  But then, Gary saw Erin enter the town square wearing royal looking
robes and a sort of king's crown.  "Greetings to you, Gary!  Welcome to my
world!"_

   _Gary looked at Erin quizzically, "How the bloody hell did I get here?"_

   _"You are in a cyberspace, Gary.  You know, a high resolution full
sensory virtual reality system.  The helmet that you wore back at my
cubicle this afternoon allowed me to record your mind."_

   _"Wait a minute!  You stop this thing right now and put me back in the
real world!"_

   _"I'm afraid that's not possible, Gary.  You are now a disembodied mind.
A mind needs a body in order to exist in the real world."_

   _"WHAT!  You can't be serious!  Look, Erin, someone's going to notice me
missing!  Plenty of people saw me hooked to your helmet thing.  They'll
know who to come to if I suddenly disappear!  So let me out!  Now!"_

   _"No, Gary.  You don't understand.  The real Gary is still alive and
well back in the real world.  He's probably home with his wife at this very
moment, having dinner or watching telly, unaware that a copy of his mind
was recorded when he put that helmet on this afternoon.  *You* are nothing
more than a digitized *copy* of *his* mind that is now being *simulated*
inside my virtual computer cyberspace."_

   _"The bloody hell!" Gary rushed at Erin and grabbed him.  At that,
however, Erin suddenly vanished in thin air!  Gary stood there dumfounded._

   ***

   Erin deleted that sequence and restored Gary's mind from the first
backup he made just before he reanimated him and went to meet him.

   ***

   _Gary stood there rubbing his chin for a moment and then felt a strange
spasm in his head which lasted barely a fraction of a second.  Then as he
looked up, Gary saw Erin enter the town square wearing royal looking robes
and a sort of kings crown.  "Greetings to you, Gary!  Welcome to my
world!"_

   _Gary looked at Erin quizzically, "How the bloody hell did I get here?"_

   _"It's a long story, Gary.  Please, why don't you join me for lunch at
the castle.  I promise you a meal fit for a king!"_

   _"Well...  I suppose so...  if you can get us back to work by the end of
our lunch hour..."_

   ***

   Erin ran a backup of his hard disk, labeled the USB thumb drive
"Cyberspace," and placed the USB thumb drive in his little Sentry vault
labeled, along with another thumb drive labeled, "Gary: original copy." He
then walked out to his car carrying his pocket PC and an assortment of wire
and ribbon cable.  His car, an old yellow 1973 Volkswagen Beetle, had
full-height bucket seats with the headrest integral with the back of the
seat.  He opened the hatchback and, with a pen knife, carefully cut out a
large circle of the cloth from the back of the headrest.  He carefully
strung his wires and chips into the padding of the seat.  He then fished
the ribbon cable down through the inside of the back of the seat and out
the bottom.  The then neatly patched the back of the seat with another
piece of cloth.

   Scrunching down, he gingerly mounted his pocket PC underneath the seat
and connected the end of the ribbon cable to one of its USB ports.  He
fished the power cable from his PC's 12 volt converter adapter under the
carpet to the fuse panel and hooked it up.  He also ran a wire from the
PC's reset jack to a push-button he mounted on the left side of his own
seat so that he could easily reach down and press it without stretching or
searching for it.

   He sat in the passenger seat and relaxed.

   ***

   _Erin stood from his throne and walked to the end of the huge throne
room into the grand marquis of his royal castle.  His humble servant,
R-Gary, waited there ever eager to serve his king.  R-Gary bowed as Erin
entered.  "May I assist you, your highness?"_

   ***

   Just before lunchtime at Megatelco Corporation, a group of people hung
around the copier.  "So where do you want to go for lunch today?  I'm sick
of cantina food."

   "Let's go to Tumulty's Pub in New Brunswick.  It's right on George
street a few blocks from the train station.  How about there?"

   "That sounds good."

   "Yeah, I'll go for that."

   "Yeah, me too."

   "Who's gonna drive?"

   "I'll drive." Said Erin.

   "You!  How're you gonna fit all of us in that putt-putt of yours?"
guffawed Glenn.

   "I can fit all of you.  No problem."

   "Well, okay."

   "Sure, let's go."

   They walked out into the parking lot and got into Erin's bug.  As
always, Glenn took the front passenger seat.  This morning, Erin had placed
a boot disk in the pocket PC with a special program that he wrote just for
this purpose.  Instead of placing the subject in the cyberspace, it simply
copied the subject's mind without him experiencing the cyberspace world in
the process.  As he started backing out of his space, he reached down and
pressed his concealed reset button.

   I saw Glenn twitch slightly a few seconds after he pressed the button,
recognizing the mild spasm he, himself, feels whenever he jacks in.

   Erin glanced over at Glenn.  Glenn looked back, rubbed his head and
said, "So Erin, " he said, "this car going to make it all the way down
Easton Avenue?"

   "Sure!  It's never failed me yet!" Answered Erin.

   "But aren't you tired of driving this antique?  I got a great deal on my
Hummer a few weeks ago!"

   "Yeah, but that's only because you seem to like to collect accidents on
your way home from Deadhead concerts.  Your dealer knows by now that you're
a guaranteed repeat customer!" Erin smirked.!

   Glenn shut up.  It almost came to blows the last time somebody commented
on his accident record.

   Erin drove out of the office park and stopped before entering the main
boulevard.

   Their lunch passed uneventfully and they all returned to work by the end
of their lunch hour.

   "Thanks for the ride," bellowed Glenn as they all climbed out of the bug
to return to the Megatelco building.

   Erin carefully removed that thumb drive from his car that evening after
returning home from work and brought it inside.  He plugged it into his
desktop PC and loaded its contents into the cyberspace.

   ***

   _Erin glanced over at Glenn.  Glenn looked back, rubbed his head and
said, "So Erin, " he said, "this car going to make it all the way across
town?"_

   _"Sure!  It's never failed me yet!" Answered Erin._

   _"But aren't you tired of driving this antique?  I got a great deal on
my Hummer a few weeks ago!"_

   _"Yeah, but that's only because you seem to like to collect accidents on
your way home from Deadhead concerts.  Your dealer knows by now that you're
a guaranteed repeat customer!" Erin smirked.!_

   _Glenn shut up.  It almost came to blows the last time somebody
commented on his accident record._

   _Erin drove out of the office park and stopped before entering the main
boulevard.  But as they pulled out onto the boulevard, a Jolt Cola truck
came speeding literally out of nowhere at them.  There was a loud crash and
Glenn instantly found himself floating in blackness.  It was eerie, for
there were no stars or other sources of light were visible.  He was in
atmosphere since he was able to breathe.  But it all seemed so surreal._

   _Then just as suddenly, Glenn found himself somewhere totally
unexpected! He found himself in the town square of a medieval village.  The
town was eerily silent except for a dog barking near by and the occasional
screeching of monkeys off in the distance.  One seemingly blind man walked
through the square._

   _"Excuse me!  Hey, can you hear me?" The man ignored Glenn and entered a
side street._

   _Then, not totally unexpected, Glenn saw Erin enter the town square, but
in his street clothes.  "Hi Glenn!"_

   _Glenn looked at Erin quizzically, "Erin!  You died too!"_

   _"Yes.  We both died drowning in Jolt Cola if you don't remember."_

   _"Wow!  This isn't what I expected heaven to be like.  But what about
the others, are they here too?"_

   _"I haven't seen anyone else here but you, Glenn."_

   _"Well, I saw one guy--some kind of zombie--walk through the square here
just a second ago.  I tried to talk to him but he totally ignored me.  And
there's that screeching off in the distance again..."_

   ***

   Erin tried a number of experiments.  Starting each time from the
original mind capture file, he animated Glenn in several different
scenarios, and several different appearances.  Sometimes Glenn woke after
the accident on board an interstellar space ship, or in a high-tech
underground bomb shelter.  Once, Glenn woke in the body of a female.  This
resulted in severe emotional problems within days.  Another time, Glenn
woke in the body of a chimp.  And one time, in a fit of cruelty, Erin
merely allowed Glenn to float in that empty space for several months until
he went insane.

   As a result of his experiments with Gary and Glenn under different
scenarios, Erin obtained some insight into the workings of the human
mind--or at least the binary representation of one.  He still could not
consistently create a mind from scratch; only an unmodified copy of
someone's mind would be a self aware continuation of that person's
consciousness.  But with the aid of a random mind generator program he
wrote, he was eventually able to create minds which were halfway between
mindless automatons and sentient self aware minds.  Fully 99 percent of
those minds were useless babbling morons, but that one percent turned out
to be useful enough to serve his purposes.  These cyber-people were not
self aware sentient beings.  They were still closer to adventure game
computer controlled characters than to sentient intelligent people, but
with the proper script they could fool someone, who didn't know they were
in a cyberspace, into thinking they were ordinary, if somewhat dim, people.

   His copy program also could capture a person's mental image of their own
body, with all the birth marks, bruises, aches and pains, and other
intimate details recreated, so as to be able to reproduce a virtual copy of
that body that the virtualized mind would not be able to tell from the
original.

   ***

   One Wednesday evening at work, Erin was working late.  He was about to
leave when Maire, another programmer, stopped by his cubicle.  She was
about his age and height, fairly attractive, with long flowing black hair,
emerald eyes, slender but with curves in all the right places!

   "Hi!" Said Maire in a slight Polish accent.  "I'm sorry to bother you,
but I did something really stupid.  I locked my keys in my car this morning
and my husband won't get home till late.  Everyone else has left, could you
give me a ride home?"

   "Yeah, sure Maire.  I'd be glad to."

   Erin drove her home, and then returned home himself in a state of
exhilaration.  He made certain to make several backups of the disk from his
pocket PC before doing anything else.  He waited until Friday to animate
Maire's recorded mind in his virtual world.

   ***

   _While waiting at the light, Maire began rubbing her temples, then Erin
asked, "Maire, which way now?"_

   _"Turn right here, then left at the next light.  I really appreciate the
ride home, Erin."_

   _"No problem, Maire, really!"_

   _After the light turned green, they entered the intersection.  As they
drove through, Erin saw Maire's eyes go wide as a Jolt Cola truck barreled
through the intersection at 100 kilometers per hour directly at them.  He
heard her scream to the sound of tearing metal as the truck smashed into
the car ripping their bodies to shreds._

   ***

   Sidding in his bathrobe, sipping a Guinness, Erin watched the scene a
few times on his LCD monitor from different angles.

   Maire was floating in mid air, in total darkness, naked.  When her
consciousness was activated, she immediately began screaming and flailing
her arms and legs.  This only seemed to cause her to begin tumbling head
over heels and she screamed even louder.  After a moment, she stopped
screaming, and waved her arms as though to stop herself from tumbling.  She
eventually succeeded.

   She looked around, seemingly by swimming through the air, though Erin
was certain that she could not be seeing any detail.  It was totally black
in all directions.  There was, however, an undetectable dim even light
source coming from all directions so that she could see herself, though
dimly.

   He saw her wave arms as though feeling the breeze, blow on her hand, and
even pinch herself with an "Ouch!" She eventually allowed herself to go
limp, and began sobbing.

   After several minutes, a point of light appeared in the distance.  Maire
didn't seem to see it at first, but she was slowly drifting towards it. 
After several minutes, it became so close and bright that she couldn't
possibly miss seeing it.  She appeared to be watching it intently as she
flew into it.

   Working the mouse, Erin zoomed in and placed his virtual body laying on
the beach a few yards from where he placed Maire's virtual body, both
laying face down in the sand, naked.  He activated her mind again and
continued watching her from his monitor.  She awoke and looked around.  She
seemed to notice Erin's naked body laying down the beach a little bit.  She
walked up to the base of the palisades which rose high above them.  She
then walked out onto the beach to the water's edge, and seemed to stare out
at the ocean for a while.  Too bad, he thought, there was no way to know
what she was thinking.  That would probably take more programming skill
than he possessed.  After a few minutes, she looked back at Erin's sessile
body.  She walked over to him and, kneeling, began to shake him vigorously.
"Wake up, Erin!  Please wake up!" He lay down on his bed and positioned the
helmet on his head.

   ***

   _"Ohhhhh," moaned Erin, as he looked up.  Maire immediately backed away
wrapping her arms around her chest and pressing her legs together while
crouching down slightly._

   _Erin looked away and said, "What happened to us, Maire?"_

   _"I...  I don't know.  I think we died.  And this must be...  heaven...
or maybe hell..."_

   ***

   Erin paused here and saved the state of his cyberspace at this point,
then continued.

   ***

   _Erin sat up, still looking away from Maire, "That's crazy!  We have to
find help.  I bet there's a hotel right around one of these turns!  You
search the beach in that direction and I'll search in this direction. 
Whoever finds someone first can send someone after the other."_

   _"I...  I don't think that's such a good idea, Erin.  I think we should
stay together."_

   _"All right.  But which way do we go?"_

   _"Well, those cliffs behind us seem to be getting higher in your
direction, but lower in mine.  Let's try this way..."_

   _Erin stood and they started walking down the beach together.  Erin
tried to stare straight ahead without looking at Maire, and Maire seemed to
be doing the same._

   _They walked for hours without saying another word to each other.  The
palisades had come down to luxurious tropical jungle.  Eventually, the sun
started to set and it was getting dark._

   _"Maire, are you getting hungry?"_

   _"Yeah, what are we going to do?"_

   _"See those trees over there?  Those look like coconut trees.  And those
over there are banana trees."_

   _"Oh yeah!  And there's an orange tree!  Erin!  Do you think this is the
Garden of Eden?"_

   _"You still think we're dead, huh?"_

   _Maire didn't answer.  They had dinner of Bananas, Oranges, and Coconut
milk.  Through necessity, they had learned to ignore each other's nudity._

   _The sun had almost set and it was quite dark.  Maire walked out onto
the beach and sat down.  She grew tired and lay down and fell asleep._

   ***

   Erin saved the state at this point.  He lay awake all night planning
where to lead this scenario.

   ***

   _During the night, a scream broke the silence.  Birds, awakened at the
alarm, burst into flight.  Erin had climbed upon Maire's sleeping body,
waking her.  He raped her.  She cried out pleading with him not to, but he
penetrated her over and over again.  Finally, spent and exhausted, he left
her as she cried._

   ***

   Erin deleted that sequence.  At a conscious level, he knew that it was
only a computer simulation, and not a real live woman he had raped.  Still
he was shocked that he had enjoyed it.  He restored from the previous save.

   ***

   _The next morning, Erin woke first and pulled a coconut off a low
hanging coconut tree.  He began banging on it with a rock to open it. 
Maire woke soon after and got up and walked over to Erin, "Thought you
could get away with having breakfast without me, huh?"_

   _"I just didn't want to disturb you.  Sorry that I woke you, but there's
just no way to crack a coconut quietly.  I found some grape vines over
there, and a couple of apple trees over there.  There's a mango tree behind
those rocks, and a pear tree up over that hill.  I've never seen such a
wide variety of trees all in one place like this before!"_

   _"I guess we're not going to go hungry anyway!"_

   _They enjoyed a filling breakfast together, and then continued their
trek down the beach._

   _As they walked, Maire started humming an old familiar ballad that had
been popular back a few years ago.  Maire glanced at Erin who was looking
at her intently and she stopped._

   _"Oh, don't stop Maire!  I like that song!"_

   _"That's my favorite song."_

   _"Did you ever go see her in concert?"_

   _"Yes, I saw her at The Egg up in Albany when I was dating my husband...
She and her dad sang it as a duet as the last song..."_

   _They continued walking down the beach.  The hours passed and they
stopped for lunch when the sun was high overhead and it was getting a bit
too warm._

   _"If we're really dead, I'm sure going to miss steak and pizza and pasta
and..."_

   _"I remember dying, Erin!  I can still see that truck smashing into us,
and being...torn apart..."_

   _"Yeah, I remember it too...  It's just so unbelievable...  and I'm
still going to miss junk food!"_

   _"We'll probably be a lot healthier without those things, Erin."_

   _"What difference does that make if we're dead?"_

   _That's the first time Erin ever saw Maire laugh since she had been
virtualized._

   _They continued their trek until night came again.  Like the night
before, Maire walked out onto the beach and lay down to sleep.  She seemed
to fall asleep easily._

   ***

   Erin went to sleep in the real world, wondering if his efforts will
succeed.

   ***

   _The next morning was as warm and sweet smelling as the one before. 
Maire woke before Erin, and she went over and sat down next to him and just
gazed out at the ocean._

   _Erin eventually woke also, "Oh...  morning Maire..."_

   _"Erin, do you smell that?"_

   _"Smell what?"_

   _"Sandalwood, Erin!  There's Sandalwood here too."_

   _"Sandalwood?" said Erin, striggling to keep a straight face.  "What's
Sandalwood?"_

   _"It's a tree that grows in Asia that smells so sweet.  My...  husband
and I traveled to India once.  As soon as you get off the plane, you can
smell it...  the scent is in the air everywhere you go...  the whole
country smells like Sandalwood."_

   _"What do they do about it?"_

   _"They don't *DO* anything about it!  It's lovely!"_

   _"Yeah, it is kind of sweet...  and speaking of sweet, I'm getting
hungry.  What's on the menu today?"_

   _Maire stood and walked over to some trees as Erin watched her.  The way
the shadows danced on her plump, round, bare tush made his mouth water in
anticipation - his most erotic fantasies had always been based on mutual
oral pleasures.  She stopped at a couple of small trees and vines and
called to Erin, "Looks like our choices are plums, apricots, or blueberries
today."_

   _They feasted on fruits once again, then continued on their way._

   _They walked for hours, with no sign of civilization anywhere.  "What
are we doing, Erin?"_

   _"I think we're walking down this beach...  "_

   _"Yeah, but why?  C'mon Erin...  you know how we got here, remember? 
You know where we are as much as I do!"_

   _Erin stopped, sat on the beach, and looked up at Maire.  "Yeah, I know.
But does that mean that we should just give up and...  die?"_

   _Maire sat next to Erin.  "Well...no...but what are we doing, where are
we going?  Is this the beginning of eternity for us?  Or are we going to
grow old and die...again?"_

   _"Well...  if we're dead and this is heaven, then let's go find God and
ask Him!"_

   _"I never said I think this is heaven..."_

   _"You think, maybe, this is hell then?"_

   _"No, that's not what I meant...  sure, we died and got... 
transported...  somewhere else...  not some fantasy place like heaven, but
here!  I don't know where HERE is, but we're not in our own universe
anymore, Erin!"_

   _"Ulp...  uh...  what do you mean?"_

   _"I know a few things about physics and biology...  not much, but enough
to know that the laws of nature here are somehow...  different.  I can't
quite put my finger on it...  but when we died in that crash, we got
transported into a different universe...  or plane...  or dimension,
whatever you want to call it."_

   _Not wanting to turn this into a religious experience, Erin dropped the
subject and just stared out at the ocean without replying._

   _They ended up sitting on the beach most of the rest of the morning. 
Then a little after noon, they resumed their walk down the beach.  They
didn't stop for lunch, but rather, they nibbled along the way whenever they
got hungry._

   _They continued until dusk and then found a shady spot in among the
trees, and sat down to rest and nibble the different varieties of fruits
they keep finding.  Eventually, Maire went off onto the beach to sleep
while Erin wandered off to find a good sleeping spot for himself._

   ***

   Erin had an idea.  He wasn't sure what reaction it would provoke, so
like always, he made a backup of the cyberspace before going to real bed.

   ***

   Erin woke the next morning and started to get ready for work.  But when
he checked the console of his cyberspace, as he usually does, he noticed
that the virtual clock had stopped at a little after midnight.  A message
on the screen indicated that his virtual presence was needed in order for
the scenario to proceed.  As promising as that sounded, the scenario would
have to stay paused until he got home from work that evening.  He ran
another backup of the cyberspace, and left for work.

   That evening he played back on his monitor a few moments before the
alarm and saw that his idea had worked.  During the night, Maire had
awakened to the sounds of wildlife screeching, cawing, growling, and
roaring.

   "Erin!  Where are you?" she cried out.

   He donned his helmet and joined her.

   ***

   _"Wha...  huh...  I'm over here Maire!  Is something wrong?"_

   _Maire ran up to the edge of the beach, "Erin!  Where are you?"_

   _"Right over here, Maire.  I found a large flat smooth rock to sleep
on--almost as if it was designed to human contours.  What's wrong?"_

   _"I...  Oh, maybe I'm just being silly...  I heard something, that's
all..."_

   _"What did you hear?"_

   _"Just some jungle noises.  Do you think we're really safe, Erin?"_

   _"I would think so.  If this is some kind of afterlife, we can't be in
much more danger than we already lived through when we died."_

   _"Well...  Uh...  Do you think there's--enough room on that rock for
two?"_

   _"Yeah--sure!"_

   _The rock wasn't quite large enough for two and they slept snuggled up
together, but Maire seemed to sleep through the rest of the night in
peace._

   _The sunrise came up the next morning and warmed the rock on which they
slept._

   _Erin woke a little while later and caught Maire already awake, looking
into his sleepy eyes.  Erin looked back and held her gaze.  They stared at
each other for a good 5 minutes, and then Erin cautiously gave Maire a
quick kiss on the lips.  Maire swallowed hard, "Erin, wait...  I don't
think..."_

   _"It's okay Maire...  I'm sorry..."_

   ***

   Unsatisfied with his blunder, Erin restored from the previous save.

   ***

   _"Wha...  huh...  I'm over here Maire!  Is something wrong?"_

   _Maire ran up to the edge of the beach, "Erin!  Where are you?"_

   _"Right over here, Maire.  I found a large flat smooth rock to sleep on
-- almost as if it was designed to human contours.  What's wrong?"_

   _"I...  Oh, maybe I'm just being silly...  I heard something, that's
all..."_

   _"What did you hear?"_

   _"Just some jungle noises.  Do you think we're really safe, Erin?"_

   _"I would think so.  If this is some kind of afterlife, we can't be in
much more danger than we already lived through when we died."_

   _"Well...  Uh...  Do you think there's--enough room on that rock for
two?"_

   _"Yeah--sure!"_

   The rock wasn't quite large enough for two and they slept snuggled up
together, but Maire slept through the rest of the night in peace._

   _The sunrise came up the next morning and warmed the rock on which they
slept._

   _Erin woke a little while later and caught Maire already awake, looking
into his sleepy eyes.  Erin looked back and held her gaze.  They stared at
each other for a good 5 minutes, and then Erin reached up and kissed his
fingertips and then touched them to Maire's lips._

   _Maire reached up and squeezed Erin's hand, and a tear came to her
eyes._

   _Erin sat up and took Maire by the hand, "C'mon, let's get something to
eat for the long walk ahead of us again!"_

   _They had a hearty breakfast and set out down the beach on their fourth
day._

   _The beach was starting to curve in towards the west as though they were
passing around a southern peninsula.  They walked and talked about the
weather, how it had been perfect ever since they have been here.  The days
had been warm but not too hot; perfect, actually, for walking along a beach
naked.  The nights had been cool, but not cold; ideal for sleeping.  A few
clouds were in the sky, but it had always been sunny._

   _As they rounded a sharp curve in the beach, it opened up into a large
lagoon.  They would either have to walk all the way around the lagoon, or
swim the strait.  The strait wasn't very wide, so they decided to swim it._

   _"Hey, Erin!  The water's actually warm!"_

   _"Yeah?  I'm coming after ya'!"_

   _Erin jumped in and swam furiously after Maire.  Maire would stop and
let him catch up her a little, and then she would splash him and swim away.
They kept this up for a long time.  Then Maire seemed to lose her balance
for a second, but a long enough second for Erin to catch her.  As Erin
caught her, they fell into the water together and sat on the warm sandy
bottom holding each other.  They sat like this for a while and then Erin
said, "Come, it's getting late again.  We must eat and find a good place to
sleep tonight."_

   _They stood up out of the water and feasted on wild strawberries._

   _A little later, as the sun was going down, Erin found a sandy spot
under a palm tree and lay down.  Maire came over and lay down not too far
from him._

   _Erin woke during the night, "wha...".  It was Maire, "Sorry Erin, but
those jungle noises woke me again," as she snuggled up close to him--but he
didn't program any jungle noises that time._

   _The next morning came as they lay in each other's arms.  Again, Erin
gazed into her eyes intently, and she did likewise.  Having just run a
backup in case he soured things again, he contemplated trying another kiss;
but she beat him to it.  Their kiss quickly turned into heated passion,
which culminated in uninhibited lovemaking - the kind of which he had
always fantasized about, with a beautiful woman.  She did everything right,
and he didn't hold back in returning her pleasure either._

   _A little later, as they lay entwined in each other, Maire remarked,
"Erin, why did we wait so long to have each other?"_

   _"Are you saying that you wish that...  maybe...  we had made love the
night before?"_

   _"I'll tell you a little secret...  I thought we were about to make love
that morning on that strange rock when you looked like you were about to
kiss me...  and you kissed your hand and touched it to my lips instead. 
That was so sweet, Erin.  I was really wanting you to give me a real kiss
after that."_

   _"I wasn't sure if you were really attracted to me...  and I didn't want
to use the situation to take advantage of you."_

   _"Ohhh, I've always kind of...  y'know...  liked you, Erin!"_

   _"You really mean that?"_

   _"Yeah, I've always thought you quiet brainy types were a turn on!"_

   _"You mean that if I had asked you...  maybe...  to have an affair back
at the office when we were alive, you would have?"_

   _"Of course, Erin, couldn't you tell?"_

   ***

   The next day, Erin came home from work with a ring shaped gouge on his
left cheek surrounded by big black and blue mark.

   Erin saved the current state in case he ever wanted to return to it and
continue it further, and then restored from the point of Maire's original
capture.

   ***

   _While waiting at the light, Maire began rubbing her temples, then Erin
asked, "Maire, which way now?"_

   _"Turn right here, then left at the next light.  I really appreciate the
ride home, Erin."_

   _Erin, "No problem, Maire, really."_

   _After the light turned green, they entered the intersection.  As they
drove down the street, Erin turned on the radio._

   _By sheerest coincidence, Maire's favorite song was playing.  She was
singing along with it when suddenly one of those emergency broadcast tests
came up -- only they said this time it *wasn't* a test!  The announcer
reported several Iraqi nuclear missiles were launched and are headed
towards the northeastern United States._

   _Then, Erin's car phone rang...  "Hello...  yes, I've just heard!  I'll
get to the shelter as soon as I can but first I got to get someone home...
five minutes?!  Are you sure that's all?!...  Yeah, but I've got someone
with me and...  no, it's a she...  yeah I know she won't have a home in
five minutes, but you don't understand...  she's not someone I..."_

   _"Erin!!  If you can get us to a shelter!  Please!  Oh please!!"_

   _"...uh...  ok, I'm not far from the shelter at all, I'll be right
there! Bye!" "Are you sure you want to come with me Maire?  If nuclear
missiles really hit us, you'll have left your life as you know it
behind..."_

   _"That's better than being dead!  C'mon!!  Hurry!"_

   _Erin gunned the gas and they went screeching around this corner and
that.  Maire didn't say a word but simply gripped tightly onto the door
handle.  They turned off the boulevard onto a secondary highway, then onto
a side street, then onto a narrow back road, then onto another back road,
then into a tunnel...  The tunnel turned into a slight upward incline, then
into a steep downward incline for several hundred yards, and then a short
slight upward incline again, and then came out into a small underground
parking garage.  Many cars were already there, and as they got out of their
car, a few more drove in.  Erin, quickly grabbed a knapsack from under the
bug's tiny front trunk, grabbed Maire by the wrist and ran over to an open
archway into a narrow corridor which inclined up, down, then up again, into
an elevator foyer where a group of people were milling about._

   _They entered just as one of the two elevators opened and they all
scurried inside.  The doors closed and the elevator immediately plunged
rapidly downward at high speed.  The ride quickly ended and when the doors
opened, proctors in the foyer rushed them out and sent the elevator back
up._

   _One proctor ushered them into a barren narrow concrete corridor which
inclined upwards slightly and zig-zagged several times until it came out in
a wide low ceilinged lobby area.  Other people were exiting into the lobby
from other similar corridors along the wall._

   _There were a number of lines waiting to enter a series of evenly spaced
vestibules.  Erin and Maire got in line and had only a short wait as the
lines moved quickly.  When they entered the vestibule, Erin reached into
his shirt and removed what looked like a dog tag from a chain around his
neck.  He handed it to a woman behind a counter in a tiny cubby between
vestibules.  The woman asked them a few questions about their height,
weight, and ages, then raised a black box and pointed it at Erin as it made
a "click" sound.  She then did the same at Maire then set it down.  She
pulled some slips of paper out of it, fumbled under the counter for a
moment and handed Erin two plastic ID badges with a key clipped to each,
"These are your ID's and the keys to your room.  You must wear your ID's at
all times while you are here." She waved them passed._

   _Erin protested, "Wait.  She and I...  well...  we can't share the same
room!  We need to be assigned other roommates..."_

   _"I'm sorry but she's not a member.  You brought her here, so she's your
responsibility.  Now we have to keep the line moving.  You can make private
arrangements to exchange roommates later, but I can't do anything for you
here.  Please move on!"_

   _"But..."_

   _"It's okay, Erin...  come on!" said Maire._

   *BOOM!*

   _The shock sent people sprawling all over the floor.  An announcement
followed immediately, "Relax everybody!  This shelter is designed to take a
direct hit.  That blast was aboooout....  ten miles uh....  north of
here... probably Newark airport.  We are sure to be shaken up worse than
that before this is all over, but we are in no danger.  I repeat..."_

   _Erin and Maire got up and Erin picked up his knapsack and their badges.
Erin clipped on his badge and handed the other to Maire.  Maire noticed
that her badge had her photo on it, but had "ERIN EEEEEE" as the name. 
Maire pointed this out to the woman behind the counter who was also just
getting up from the shock, "Yes, well, your badge simply indicates that you
are authorized to be here, and who's membership you are here by - not who
you are personally.  Now please, we have to hurry now!  Next!"_

   _They left the vestibule into an inner lobby, with a number of corridors
going off in different directions.  They looked at their keys, which were
stamped with their room number, 5C12.  As they went down this corridor and
that, proctors directed them closer to their assigned room._

   *BOOM!*

   _Again, they were knocked to the floor.  Another announcement followed,
"That one was...  let's see...  about 25 kilometers northwest of here... 
perhaps Picatinny Arsenal.  Please keep calm and we will all make it
through this."_

   _Maire and Erin continued on their way, guided by proctors that they met
along their way.  They came to Section 5._

   *boom...*

   _That one wasn't so violent.  The announcement followed, "That was
about, oh, 50 kilometers or so to the south...  My guess McGuire Air Base.
Please stay calm."_

   _They found unit C.  They passed a bulletin board hanging on the wall
which said something about cantina hours.  Erin noticed that Maire had
paused, trying to read it, but the very narrow corridor was so filled with
bustling people carrying baggage that they were forced to keep moving._

   _A few more turns brought them to room 12.  Erin unlocked the door with
his key and they entered.  It was a tiny room, about 2 meters by 4 meters.
The door opened against a wall of closets.  A narrow open length of floor
ran between the closet wall and a double bed with a bare mattress, which
snugly filled the rest of the room.  Like the rest of the shelter, the
walls, floor and low ceiling were all of the same solid gray concrete.  The
door was unpainted gray steel in a steel frame._

   _Erin set his knapsack on the bed and they both sat on the bed with a
sigh.  Maire looked around and said, "I have to find out if my son and my
husband are okay!  There must be a way to find out what's going on
outside."_

   _Erin answered, "I really don't know..." Just then, an announcement came
over, "Attention please!  n Attention please!  All members are kindly
requested to proceed directly to their rooms.  Please do not wander, and
stay in your rooms until everybody is settled in.  Further instructions
will follow.  Thank you for your cooperation."_

   _"Maybe we can look around a little later, Maire.  There doesn't seem to
be anything we can do right now."_

   _Maire sat on the bed next to Erin, there being no other furniture in
the room, "How long do you think we'll have to stay here, Erin?"_

   _"I have no idea...  I hope it won't be more than a few days."_

   _Maire stood, walked over to the door, opened it and looked out, "Excuse
me, do you know how I can find out what's happening outside?"_

   _The stranger answered, "I don't know." Maire closed the door and sat
back down on the bed.  Erin said, "Everybody here is probably in the same
situation as us, Maire...  scared and in shock..."_

   _"But I just have to find out if my husband and my son are...  okay...",
and she burst into tears.  Erin took her hand to comfort her the best as he
could._

   _Maire just sat there, aparrantly sullen, for the next hour.  Neither
said anything to the other during this time._

   _BOOOMMM!  RUMMMMMBLE!  The lights went out.  Maire screamed and grabbed
Erin.  They held onto each other for what seemed an eternity, but what was
really only a few minutes.  Then the lights came back on.  "Attention
please!  Please don't panic!  The shock of that last blast merely tripped
the master circuit breaker.  No harm was done.  That must have been only a
few miles away!  Please relax and continue your activities."_

   _Maire and Erin continued to hold each other over the next hour or so,
but neither said anything to the other.  Maire wept a few times, and
finally said, "Erin, it must be past eight...  and I'm so hungry!  When are
they going to let us eat?"_

   _Erin just shrugged._

   _Eventually, another announcement came over, "Attention please!  The
cantina is now serving dinner for Section 5."_

   _"That's us," said Erin!_

   _Maire and Erin cautiously left their room and found one of those "you
are here" signs.  They headed off to the cantina._

   _They ate their dinner in silence, as did most of the other residents._

   _They finished their dinner and as they were leaving the cantina, a
proctor told them, "Please return to your rooms, we are still busy getting
people settled in.  The lounge and recreation area will be opened
tomorrow."_

   _Maire caught the proctor's eye.  "Do you know anything about what
happened outside?  I have to know if my family's okay!"_

   _"Sorry, Ma'am.  Phone line's are out.  No TV or radio stations are on
the air.  We can't reach anyone on the shortwave.  And our observation
cameras up above are all knocked out.  That's all I know."_

   _They returned to their room again and Maire stood by the bed for a
moment and then sat, "Erin, how did you ever get involved in this..."_

   _"It was a major project of a survivalist group which started back in
the 50's before they were known as survivalist groups, and when nuclear
bomb shelters were the hottest fad.  There are actually several of these
shelters throughout central New Jersey...  and I could have gone to any one
of them.  This is the largest.  I bought into it like an insurance policy.
I had to swear an oath of secrecy to become a member."_

   _"I've never heard of anything about this!  I'm surprised you were all
able to keep it a secret for so long!"_

   _"Yeah...  I'm surprised to.  I was expecting to hear about us on '60
Minutes' or something one of these days."_

   _Maire looked around the room.  "Since there's nothing more to do, I
guess we might as well go to...  uh...  sleep..." She grabbed a stack of
folded sheets and blankets she found in one of the closets and started to
make the bed._

   _Erin helped her make it.  "Well Maire, you can have the bed.  I found a
couple extra blankets in the closet before.  I'll sleep on the floor."_

   _"No Erin, don't be silly.  You can't sleep on that hard concrete floor!
It's nice of you to offer, but I can't ask you to do that, especially if we
have to stay here for a few days."_

   _Erin didn't say anything, he just zipped his knapsack open and started
putting his clothes away in the drawer unit.  Maire sat down.  "What did
you bring in that knapsack?"_

   _"Everybody was supposed to bring enough clothes to last for one week
between washings, as well as toiletries and anything else they might need
for personal needs for several months.  I brought two pairs of jeans, some
socks, a bunch of these tee shirts, bathrobe, pair of old sneakers, and...
uh...  toothbrush, toothpaste...  razors and shaving cream...  couple'a
packages'a soap...  deodorant powder...  shampoo...  that's about it."_

   _"How come you brought so many identical tee shirts, all the same yellow
and green stripes?"_

   _"They were on sale at K-Mart for a buck a piece...  so I bought a bunch
to pack away in case...  this happened..."_

   _"Oh...  and, uh, Erin...  I don't have any spare clothes for me, do you
know where I could get some spare clothes anywhere here?"_

   _"I don't know...  we can ask around I guess."_

   _"And do you know if it's possible to take a shower?  I really need
one."_

   _ "Oh yes!  I came to an orientation program over a weekend once, it's
like living in a college dorm.  You can take a shower, and even a bath, in
privacy!"_

   _"That's good...  oh, and do you think I could borrow one of your briefs
until I can wash my own again?  I really hate to put dirty clothes back
on."_

   _"Sure, Maire.  Go ahead."_

   _"Thanks; and the bathrobe too?  I'll try not to get it wet?"_

   _"Yeah," Erin gave her his robe, "here..."_

   _"Thanks...  uh, do you know where the ladies' room is, can you show me?
I'm a little scared to wander around this place alone..."_

   _"Sure, Maire...  I have to go too...  c'mon"_

   _Maire took a brief from the drawer, and a towel and cloth from a stack
in the closet.  Erin reached into his sack and handed her a bar of soap
from a package, and they left to find the toilets._

   _They found the one unisex toilet for the unit.  An outer room with a
counter of sinks, and then an inner corridor, with each commode off inside
a little room, and then a block of individual shower stalls at the end of
this corridor._

   _Erin watched Maire head for an unoccupied shower stall, then he entered
one of the toilets._

   _Erin decided that he needed a shower too, so he quickly returned to
their room and got another towel, washcloth and soap, then returned to the
toilet.  He found an unoccupied shower for himself._

   _When Erin returned to the room after his shower with a blanket wrapped
around his waist, Maire was laying in bed with the blankets pulled snugly
up to her chin.  He told her, "I needed a shower too...  uh, could you look
away while I put on some underwear?"_

   _"Sure," replied Maire._

   _Erin hung his wet towel on the towel bar next to Maire's and put on
fresh underwear.  He turned off the light and got into bed too._

   ***

   Erin saved here, and went to bed for real.  Tomorrow was a workday.  The
following Friday night, he replayed a few minutes of activity on his screen
to refresh his memory and rejoined Maire.

   ***

   _Erin woke the next morning and turned toward Maire.  Seeing she was
already awake, he said, "G'morning, Maire."_

   _Maire pulled the blankets up to her chin a little tighter.  "Morning."
Maire just sat there looking at Erin.  "Uh...  I don't have any clothes on.
I can't get up until you do," she said._

   _Erin got out of bed, grabbed a tee shirt and a jeans from the drawer
and put them on, and then sat at the foot of the bed.  "You can get up now.
My eyes are closed."_

   _Maire got up, took the other pair of jeans out of the drawer, and one
of those tee shirts, and got dressed.  "You can look now, Erin."_

   _Erin looked at Maire, then at himself, and let out a belly laugh. 
Maire simply smiled back._

   _"Well," said Erin, "we might as well go and see if we can get some
breakfast..."_

   _"Sure...  just let me go use the toilet again"_

   _"Yeah...  me too."_

   _They headed off to the toilet, then to the cantina._

   _Erin remarked, as they were eating, "Everybody is so sullen here..."_

   _Maire barked, "Well, what do you expect!" Erin didn't try to say
anything else during the meal._

   _As they left the cantina, Maire caught the ear of another proctor, "Any
word on what's happening outside?"_

   _"There's rumors...  It's pretty bad I hear...  there'll be a sort of
official announcement a little later...  that's all I can say."_

   _"Well, is there some sort of radio or communications room where we can
go to at least ask?"_

   _"There is Ma'am, but they've been fighting off crowds since this all
began...  they're doing the best they can under the circumstances."_

   _They went on past the proctor, then Maire stopped at a corner, "Erin...
I'm sorry I snapped at you before..."_

   _"It's okay...  I understand..."_

   _Maire continued, "...but you're a member here.  Could you come with me
to that radio room and see if we can get some answers?"_

   _"Sure!"_

   _They followed the "you are here" signs until they came to a set of
double doors labelled, Communications Center.  There were two proctors
standing at each side of the door, "Can we help you, uh, Erin and, uh,
Jessie?"_

   _Maire said, "I'm Maire!"_

   _Erin asked, "We need to find out about some friends and relatives up
above, would anyone in here know anything?"_

   _One of the proctors replied, "These people have been up ever since this
thing started yesterday finding out what's happening outside.  They're
making progress and they do plan to make an announcement in a little bit.
But frankly, from what I've been hearing, the whole northeast coast got
obliterated by them damn Iraqis!"_

   _The other proctor added, "The best for you folks to do is to go back to
your unit lounge and wait there.  The folks in here will be starting the
shelter TV station later to start giving reports when they know enough to
report on."_

   _Erin and Maire looked at each other, "Unit lounge?"_

   _They hurried off to the unit lounge to wait for the broadcast.  Along
the way, Maire asked, "Erin, who are those proctors?  Other members? 
Employees?  Or what?"_

   _"They're just members who get their dues reduced over time if they
volunteer as shelter personnel during an emergency.  The shelter officers
are full time employees of the shelter and are required to live here as
part of the bylaws."_

   _They found their way back to their unit, and then found the lounge.  It
was a large room full of chairs.  Assorted tables, including a billiard
table and other gaming tables, were folded up and pushed into a corner. 
There was also a television at the front of the room._

   _There were a large number of other people milling about.  A few noticed
Maire and Erin enter the room; it's hard not to notice a couple dressed
exactly alike.  One man came up to them, squinted at their ID badges and
said, "Hi, Erin's," with a grin!_

   ***

   Using "stripped" models of Gary's and Glenn's minds as input to a random
mind generator program he wrote, Erin had gradually been creating a library
of more lifelike, though still not truly sentient, cyberpeople.

   ***

   _Maire just grunted at him._

   _"I'm Erin, she's Maire...  some silly rule here requires her to wear an
ID badge with my name on it."_

   _"Well, my name's George.  It's about time they opened the lounge, huh?
I was starting to go crazy in that little room with two roommates!  You
too, huh?"_

   _"Uh...we're the only two in our room..."_

   _"Oh yeah...  I heard that they didn't make couples take on an extra
roommate.  Lucky for you, huh?  They're really crowded here!"_

   _The screen of the TV at the front of the room lit up.  A rather
disheveled looking man was sitting at a makeshift newsdesk, "Greetings
fellow sheltermates.  I'm sure you are all concerned with what has
happened, what is happening, and what may happen.  We here in the
Communications Center will try to answer these questions as best we can."_

   _"First, as to what happened.  Iraq launched at least twelve nuclear
ICBM's at the United States yesterday evening.  Despite the presence of UN
inspectors, the Iraqis managed to hide their continued nuclear development.
Saddam Hussein had been brooding over his humiliation of the Gulf War for
years.  That's what we were able to learn from commercial and government
broadcasts before the first missile struck Newark airport at approximately
seven thirty last night.  The next missile struck Picatinny Arsenal at
around seven forty five, and a third missile struck McGuire Air Force Base
around seven fifty five.  Finally, in an almost direct hit upon us, a
fourth missile struck near Edison at about eight ten causing the P S E and
G power to go out throughout the shelter.  Power was restored momentarily
when they were able to bring up the internal fusion reactor from idle.  Why
they didn't switch to internal power as soon as they started the reactor, I
don't know."_

   _"When the power went out, so did all the commercial television and
radio broadcast stations.  The phone lines seemed to be operational late
into the evening, but due to overloaded circuits, we had been unable to get
an outside connection.  The phone lines failed completely, shortly after
midnight."_

   _"That is what HAS happened.  What IS happening isn't too pleasant.  A
group of proctors attempted to reach the surface in radiation suits to
attempt to upright the shortwave and other antennas, but upon entering any
of the parking levels, the radiation level jumped to dangerous levels which
prevented them from continuing to the surface.  The entrance to the tunnel
into parking garage 'D' had collapsed completely.  They were able to send a
motorized camera up to the surface, but as you can see from these color
pictures, it's nothing but burnt stone and ash in all directions as far as
we can see.  Radiation levels outside are presently higher than anyone,
even in a radiation suit, could survive for more than a few minutes."_

   _"What WILL happen...  well, we will just have to wait it out.  As most
of you know, this shelter is a closed ecology that has been functioning as
such, ever since the findings of the Biosphere Two project were released
several years ago.  Technicians have allowed for the shock of the infusion
of hundreds of occupants, and we expect to be able to survive down here
indefinitely, if necessary."_

   _"We know that many of you are concerned about loved ones who did not
make it to the shelter.  As unpleasant as this is to tell you, it is
doubtful that anyone caught outside in the central New Jersey area after
the first missile attack survived.  It is further doubtful that anyone
taking refuge in such so called 'fallout shelters' survived more than a few
hours after the attack.  It is certain that anyone who did not leave the
northeast region soon after the attack did not survive.  I'm sorry for
those of you who left friends and family behind, but those are the facts
which we must live with."_

   _"What we do not know is how much of the United States, indeed the
world, was affected by the attack.  It's obvious that the surrounding area
will not be habitable for many years.  Our return to the surface depends on
the localization of the attack and on its effect of the global ecology.  We
expect to be able to send technicians up to the surface to repair the
antennas in about two weeks.  If they are successful, we may learn the
extent of the destruction, and the distance we will need to travel to
rejoin civilization.  We can tell others of our situation here and ask for
their assistance in bringing us to them."_

   _"That is all.  More mundane news regarding life in the shelter will be
broadcast each evening at eight.  We will begin broadcasting taped
entertainment programming from our video library later today, interspersed
with news reports as more information becomes available.  Thank you."_

   _There was dead silence in the room following.  Then one by one, people
started crying and moaning.  Erin and Maire held each other and returnedto
their room together._

   _They sat in their room for a long time, just holding each other. 
Around lunchtime, Erin heard Maire's stomach growl and said, "C'mon... 
let's go and eat."_

   _They went off to the cantina to have lunch.  They relaxed the rules for
using the cantina, it was no longer scheduled by unit, and anyone could go
at any time.  It was crowded this time, as they entered just after noon._

   _They entered the serving area and got in line as usual.  It was an
efficient operation, and they had their choice between a number of entrees,
or the grill.  Erin got in the grill line, "So, what'll it be, uh, Erin,"
the server asked Erin?  Erin just ordered a hamburger and fries.  Maire got
in the carvery line, "And what'll you have, uh, Jessie?" another server
asked Maire?  Maire replied with a slight chill in her voice, "I'll just
have a ham sandwich." As Maire was about to step away, the server called to
her, "Yo!  Jessie!" Maire turned and answered, "What?" "You get a pickle
with that!" "No thanks."_

   _As they were walking down an aisle looking for an empty table, a couple
waved them over to their table.  When they approached, they saw it was
George sitting with a woman.  George said, "Please join us!" To the woman
he said, "Lynn, This is Erin and Maire."_

   _Lynn looked at them as they sat at the table, and whispered to Maire,
"Your badge says 'Erin'?"_

   _Maire said coldly, "I know."_

   _Erin answered, "It's just a rule they have here because I brought her
here with me."_

   _George said, "Well, Lynn and I met right after that broadcast.  I don't
know about you, but neither of us has any family outside.  That's why we're
single members here.  We're going to try and get a private room as a
couple."_

   _Lynn added, "Don't get your hopes up George, I really don't think
they're going to free up a room for us after the fact, since they're so
overcrowded already.  So how about you two?  Married?  Or just hogging a
private room," followed by a wink?_

   _Erin then said, "It's a long story Lynn...  uh...  kind of
complicated..."_

   _Maire just smiled and looked down._

   _George broke the short silence that followed, "so...  how about the
weather?"_

   _Lynn hit him with her purse, and broke out in laughter._

   _After a silent pause at the table, Lynn added, "Look...  this has been
hard on us all...  what say we go down to the rec room?  Maybe play a
little table tennis?"_

   _"I don't know?  You up to it Maire?" Said Erin._

   _"Yeah...  okay..."_

   _They played a round of table tennis, but Maire failed to return a
number of easy shots, and generally seemed uninterested in the game.  After
their game, the four of them went over to where a small group of people
were watching an old episode of Fawlty Towers on the telly.  They all sat
down together and watched.  Part way through the movie, George and Lynn
started giggling and pawing each other.  After some continued flirting and
occasional backward glares from some of the other viewers, George and Lynn
quietly slipped out of the room._

   _Erin and Maire stayed until the end of the show.  It was followed by an
episode of the old Star Trek.  At that moment some children ran in, each
holding a video cassette, and both tryign to insert the tape into the VCR
simultaneously.  "I want to watch_Thunderbirds!"

   _"But I want to watch The Tomorrow People!"

   _"Maire stood.  "Come on Erin, I don't want to see this..." And they
returned to their room._

   _That sat in their room for a while just staring at the walls.  "Erin,
what are we going to do here for two weeks?"_

   _"I don't know...  want to just go for a walk?"_

   _"Sure...  why not..."_

   _They left their room, and just started walking down corridors.  They
passed through some of the other units.  In typical dormitory fashion, some
of the residents left their doors open and looking in revealed the crowded
conditions in some of the rooms.  They continued walking through corridors.
They frequently received curious glances, perhaps at being dressed exactly
alike; or maybe because Erin's tee shirts weren't designed for the female
form which caused Maire's curves to stand out."_

   _They had walked for about an hour and Maire looked at her watch, "I'm
getting a bit hungry.  Mind if we head back now?"_

   _"Fine with me..."_

   _After dinner, they returned to their room.  A little later, they heard
a knock at their door.  Erin went over and opened it, and a proctor was
there holding a clipboard, "Sorry to disturb you...  just double checking
the roster...  can you spare a minute?"_

   _"Sure, come in..." answered Erin._

   _The proctor entered and sat on the bed, "You're Erin McFlannery, male,
thirty five, assigned to 5C12, right?"_

   _"Yup!"_

   _The proctor looked over at Maire, "And you are?"_

   _"Maire, uhm, Smith."_

   _The proctor raised his eyebrows a tad, and then began flipping through
the sheets on his clipboard, "Uh...  I don't have any Maire Smith here. 
Oh, but here's another Erin McFlannery!  Thirty two, female, also assigned
to 5C12..."_

   _"Yeah...  that's me...  can you put my right name down on that form
please?"_

   _"Sorry Erin, er, Maire...  but your names are used to cross index all
our records...  we've no procedure for someone to change their name here...
sorry.  Well, thanks for your time."_

   _After the proctor left, Maire asked, "Mind if I go to sleep early? 
There's really nothing else to do!"_

   _"Sure, go ahead."_

   _"Okay, close your eyes please!" He did._

   _As Maire put on Erin's robe, she asked, "Erin, I haven't brushed my
teeth in two days!  Do you think I can share your toothbrush?  I don't have
any diseases.  Honest!"_

   _Erin said with a grin, "Sure Maire.  I certainly don't want to start
smelling your bad breath in a few days!"_

   _Maire and Erin took their separate showers and returned to bed as per
their usual routine._

   _They woke up the next morning at about the same time again.  And again,
went through their same routine of taking turns getting up and getting
dressed._

   _They arrived in the cantina and, like once before, were waved over by
George and Lynn.  George quipped, "Well...  if it isn't the Bobsey twins
again!"_

   _"The who?" Maire asked._

   _"No, not the Who, the Bobsey twins!  Oh never mind..."_

   _Lynn cut in, "So how are you two doing?"_

   _"Well, I don't think I'll ever get used to being called 'Jessie' by
everybody." Said Maire._

   _George suggested, "Maybe you can change your name..."_

   _Maire didn't answer._

   _They finished breakfast, and George started making kissey faces at
Lynn. This quickly escalated, and while George and Lynn sat there necking,
Maire and Erin quietly slipped away._

   _They stood outside the cantina entrance for a second.  Maire suggested,
"Feel like taking another walk, Jess?"_

   _"Sure..."_

   _Again, they walked off in another direction through another part of the
shelter.  Maire remarked, "I didn't know this place was so huge!"_

   _"Yeah...  it's big alright!"_

   _After a while of random wandering, they came to that inner lobby they
passed through on their first day.  All the vestibules leading to the outer
lobby were closed with steel doors.  Maire remarked, "I wonder if there's
any other way out."_

   _"I doubt it.  It would be a security risk.  I mean for us - for there
to be too many ways to get in.  And then, the more connections there are to
the outside, the greater the danger of contamination getting in too.  Much
of the purpose of this place is as much to be a sanctuary against invasion
as a nuclear war shelter.  Remember the guy on the TV called it a 'closed
ecology'?  Well, you know what a closed ecology is, don't you?"_

   _"Erin, please don't bore me with that science stuff.  If you say we can
live down here without running out of food or anything, that's all I care
to know right now."_

   _"Well, that's what I'm saying.  We can last out any siege down here no
matter how long.  And since that's something they had also planned for, I'm
sure they're going to be very cautious about making our presence known and
that they're going to make sure that the U.S.  hasn't been invaded before
we can all leave.  Well, c'mon...  let's go see what's down this way..."_

   _They passed a set of double doors labeled "Administration," one of
which was open.  They stepped inside to see._

   _"May I help you," asked a man behind a counter?_

   _"No," answered Erin, "we're just taking a walk and are just passing
by..."_

   _"Well, I'm Ben...  nice to meet you, Erin and...  ah...  Jessie.  Walk
taking seems to be a popular activity down here."_

   _Maire quipped, "Well, there's not much else to do!"_

   _"Well, I doubt that the two of you have any trouble keeping yourselves
occupied!  It sure is refreshing to see something like you two...  two
lovers dressing exactly alike.  I remember when that was the fad back in my
college days!"_

   _Erin asked, "Can you fill us in on what it's like outside now?"_

   _"Oh, didn't you hear the news?  One fellow tried to leave!  The
proctors saw him pass through the outer lobby into tunnel 'G'.  They
grabbed their radiation suits and went after him.  They found him when they
got up to the parking level.  He died of radiation poisoning as he was
backing his car out of its space.  They'll probably mention it on the news
tonight..."_

   _Maire asked, "How about the phone lines?  When will it be possible to
make an outside call?"_

   _"That's doubtful.  The radiation levels are so high that it's going to
be a couple of weeks before the technicians can even go upside to fix the
TV and shortwave antennas, even in radiation suits.  I doubt that there's
any phone crews out there fixing the lines!"_

   _Maire answered, "I don't know what I'm going to do two whole weeks down
here..."_

   _"I said two weeks for technicians in radiation suits!  They say it's
probably going to be months before we can actually start planning for
everybody to leave...  and that's assuming we can get in touch with people
up there who can help coordinate transportation for all of us out of the
radioactive area."_

   _"And what if we *CAN'T* find anyone up there to help us?" Asked Maire._

   _"Then...  ah...  it'll up to us to send out explorers to find habitable
areas to go to, and then plan how we're going to get everybody there
safely. Logistics, you know.  And if that's the case, well...  plan on
staying here a while..."_

   _Erin tried to end the conversation.  "Well, thanks for the info
anyway..."_

   _"Sure!  Stop in again!"_

   _Erin and Maire walked back out and continued walking down the corridor,
and finally returned to their room._

   _They sat in their room for awhile until they got hungry again and then
headed back to the cantina.  George and Lynn weren't there so they sat by
themselves._

   _An artist was painting a mural on one of the gray concrete walls of the
cantina.  After they ate, they stayed at their table and watched the
painter for a while._

   _They returned to their room after lunch and lay down on the bed to
stare at the ceiling until dinner._

   _The hours eventually passed, and they returned to the cantina for
dinner.  The painter had made some more progress on his mural in their
absence._

   _They stopped into the lounge after dinner on the way back to their
room. There were a couple of openings on one of the sofas, so they stayed
to catch the local news on the TV.  They learned that nothing exciting had
happened since that one guy tried to leave.  They even stayed to watch the
"Blues Brothers" movie which followed._

   _They returned to their room after the movie.  Maire went to take her
shower as Erin just sat on the bed with his arms folded around his knees.
Maire returned some time later and glanced at Erin._

   _Erin, used to the routine, closed his eyes as she removed his robe and
got into bed.  He continued to sit on the bed, "Maire, what do you suppose
it's going to be like when we get out of here?"_

   _"I haven't thought about that at all!  I just want to live through
this! I suppose it's going to be hard for us, but who can guess until we
find out what happened up there?"_

   _"Yeah, I suppose so."_

   _Maire rolled over as if to try to sleep.  Erin still just sat there._

   _"Meg, what *DO* you want to do when we get out of here?"_

   _Maire rolled back around, "I...  suppose I'd want to find the graves...
oh God, if they've even been buried...  of my husband...  and my son... 
and then maybe...  I don't know...  we can't plan that far ahead until we
find out what it's like up there."_

   _"Yeah...  I guess you're right...  g'night, Maire."_

   _"G'night, Erin."_

   _The next morning, they followed their usual routine of closing their
eyes while the other gets dressed and exits to the toilet._

   _They met George and Lynn in the cantina again, "Mmmmm...  the food's
not half bad here...  didn't you two bring ANY other clothes with you?!"_

   _Erin answered, "well...  actually...  no..."_

   _"Erin was...  well...  giving me a ride home from work when this began
and I've been sharing his clothes.  I've asked around and nobody has any
spare clothes or anything.  I guess I can hardly expect anyone to."_

   _George perked up.  "So you two aren't really married or going together
or anything?  Ohhh, la la!"_

   _Lynn interrupted George.  "Shut up, George...  Please excuse him, guys.
He thinks life's one big joke!"_

   _"Well, isn't it?" Replied George._

   _"Just shut up and kiss me!"_

   _Maire and Erin smiled at each other and hurried through their
breakfast, "Uh, we'll see you guys later..." They slipped out as George and
Lynn's passions were peaking again.  Erin suggested, "Maybe they really
should get a room together."_

   _"Yes, I think so too.  Actually, Erin, you'd be surprised at some of
the gossip I've been hearing!"_

   _"Oh, I can guess.  In a situation like this, people thrown together in
close quarters...  little privacy...  passions are bound to flare up with
little opportunity to be discrete about it."_

   _"Yeah.  Just like being back in school living in the dorms."_

   _"So where shall our morning walk take us today, Maire?"_

   _"Well, let's start walking and see..."_

   _They made their usual rounds, stopping to chat with friends they've
made in other sections and units, and eventually returned back at their own
unit.  They stopped into the lounge on the way back to their room._

   _There was a large group of people watching some movie on TV, a foursome
playing table tennis, and two others playing air hockey.  There was also
another couple sitting in the corner oblivious to their surroundings.  As
there were no free seats, Maire and Erin stood and watched the movie for a
moment.  Maire whispered to Erin, "Do you want to stand here and watch this
movie?"_

   _"Naw...  not really..."_

   _They left the lounge and returned to their room._

   _They made the bed together, then Maire looked at her watch, "We still
have several hours to kill before lunch."_

   _Erin just got on the bed and lay down with his arms up and his hands
under the back of his head and stared at the ceiling._

   _Maire lay down next to him, and Erin remarked, "They should have
planned some activities for us here." Erin lowered his arms down to his
sides._

   _Maire reached over and took Erin's hand.  "I know one activity that we
can plan for ourselves."_

   _Erin turned his head and met Maire's gaze.  Their lips came together,
and then their bodies.  They spent the next hour drinking from each other.
Finally, it seemed neither could resist the urges that were coming from
deep within them.  Erin sat up in the bed and Maire climbed into his lap
facing him.  Erin cautiously started to pull Maire's tee shirt off up over
hear head and then paused in uncertainty.  Maire reached down and continued
the task remarking, "You don't have to close your eyes this time, silly!"
As they continued shedding their clothes, their tempo picked up until, at
last, they were fully naked together.  Maire didn't hesitate to fulfill her
role as she impaled herself on him, their rythym in concert.  Their passion
flowed freely as they spent the rest of the afternoon filling each other up
until they were both exhausted.  They finally fell asleep in each other's
arms as the day drew to a close._

   ***

   It was several days after that until Erin had the energy to initiate a
new scenario.

   ***

   _While waiting at the light, Maire began rubbing her temples, then Erin
asked, "Maire, which way now?"_

   _"Turn right here, then left at the next light.  I really appreciate the
ride home, Erin."_

   _"No problem, Maire, really!"_

   _After the light turned green, they entered the intersection.  As they
drove through, Erin saw Maire's eyes go wide as a Jolt Cola truck barreled
through the intersection at 60 miles per hour directly at them.  He heard
her scream to the sound of tearing metal as the truck smashed into the car
ripping their bodies to shreds._

   ***

   Again, Erin observed the scene from his PC monitor.

   Maire was floating in mid air, in total darkness, naked.  When her
consciousness was activated, she immediately began screaming and flailing
her arms and legs.  This only seemed to cause her to begin tumbling head
over heels and she screamed even louder.  After a moment, she stopped
screaming, and waved her arms as though to stop herself from tumbling.  She
eventually succeeded.

   She looked around, seemingly by swimming through the air, though Erin
was certain that she could not be seeing any detail.  It was totally black
in all directions.  There was, however, an undetectable dim even light
source coming from all directions so that she could see herself, though
dimly.

   He saw her wave arms as though feeling the breeze, blow on her hand, and
even pinch herself with an "Ouch!".  She eventually allowed herself to go
limp, and began sobbing.

   Erin placed his virtual body in the cyberspace quite a distance from
Maire, then imparted a slight velocity in it to cause them to drift
together.  He watched intently as Maire continued to look around from time
to time, and she seemed to spot his body eventually.

   She started waving her arms and legs as though trying to swim toward
him. She seemed to grow tired after a while and rested before trying again.
He added a touch of additional velocity to her in the correct direction. 
He continued to watch as she rapidly approached his, seemingly unconscious,
body.  She tried to turn around and slow down, but only succeeded in
slowing herself slightly.  Just before impact, she called out, "Erin!  Is
that you?" She struck him and grabbed onto him tightly as their combined
relative velocities sent them tumbling off together.

   After several minutes, she was able to stop their tumbling, but he
remained observing from the screen.  She began feverishly shaking him and
slapping him, but that only sent them off tumbling again; and she lost her
grip and they went drifting apart in opposite directions.

   She struggled to reverse her drift and swim back to him.  And when she
was able to grab him again, she interlocked her legs with his.  She held
him tightly, and started to weep again.

   Erin continued to observe her actions, and he saw her put her hand up to
his mouth as though feeling his breath, and then she held his wrist as
though feeling his pulse.  Knowing that his virtual body was providing
these responses, he continued observing her as she resumed her efforts to
wake him.  Erin decided this was a good point in time to join the
festivities, and donned his helmet once again.

   ***

   _Upon entering his cyberspace, Erin instantly found himself floating
weightless with his legs interlocked with Maire's, facing her.  "Wha!  I'm
falling!  I'm falling!"_

   _She grabbed his arms to stop him from flailing.  "Erin!  You're not
falling!  We're...  dead...  I think.  That truck hit us.  Remember?  Oh,
Erin!"_

   _Erin leaned back, their legs still intertwined, and stared at her
momentarily, "Maire...  what....  why...  where are we?"_

   _"I think we died in that crash, Erin!  And this is...  some kind of...
afterlife."_

   _"We died in each other's arms?"_

   _"Maybe.  I don't remember it.  It all happened so fast!  I saw the
truck hit us.  Then I was here.  You weren't.  I found you later.  Here I
mean!  Erin, I'm scared!"_

   _Erin reached forward and held her.  They held each other for a long
time without saying anything._

   _Some indeterminate time later, Erin asked, "What do you think's going
to happen to us, Maire?"_

   _"I don't know.  I've heard that people who have had near death
experiences have found themselves floating in darkness falling into a
bright light.  But there's just darkness all around us!"_

   _"Yeah, this is weird.  Do you really think we're dead or just imagining
this?"_

   _"Well, we wouldn't be sharing the same dream would we?  Unless I'm
dreaming and imagining you here."_

   _"Yeah.  And I could be dreaming and imagining you!"_

   _"I don't know.  You know how when you're awake, you know you're awake
and not dreaming?  Well I know I'm awake and not dreaming!  And so do you!
We're dead, Erin, and this is some kind of purgatory!" Maire started crying
again._

   _They continued to drift uneventfully for the next few minutes... 
hours...  days wrapped around each other._

   _From time to time, one or the other would shift position slightly, but
slightly enough to stimulate certain parts of the others' bodies which were
pressed against each other's hips.  Being as their legs were still
interlocked together, squeezing each other's thighs, such sensations were
unavoidable.  At one time, Erin couldn't resist his natural responses and
Maire gave Erin a questioning glance._

   _"I'm sorry Maire...  I couldn't help it."_

   _Maire looked away, "It's okay, Erin."_

   _They drifted a while longer still holding each other, and they
eventually fell asleep in each other's arms._

   ***

   Erin saved the sequence here.  He noticed that he was getting a bit
hungry inside the cyberspace.  He went to grab a pizza and a Jolt Cola, and
spent the next several days reprogramming the sensory feedback program so
that he could selectively turn off the feeling of hunger, and also the call
of nature.  He certainly didn't want either of those to distract her.

   ***

   _They woke again, still holding each other.  Maire looked up at Erin,
"Oh Erin, what's going to happen to us?  Is this *IT* for the rest of
eternity?!"_

   _Erin suggested, "Maybe...  maybe we should call out to see if there's
anyone else here."_

   _"I don't know if that's such a good idea!  What kinds of people do you
think we're likely to meet in purgatory?"_

   _"Well, we can't just stay like this for the rest of eternity!"_

   _"I guess not.  Okay, let's call out and see if anyone's there."_

   _They called out in unison, "HELLO!  IS ANYONE HERE?" There was no echo,
just silence more silent than either of them could have ever experienced.
They tried again, and again, "HELLO!!  IS ANYONE OUT THERE!!" They kept
calling until their voices went hoarse._

   _"Well, I guess you're right, Maire.  We're all alone here."_

   _Once again, they fell silent for a long time._

   _After almost a full day of floating in space naked, holding tightly
onto a naked woman, Erin was having a hard time holding back his
involuntary responses, but pausing the system periodically to exit to the
real world allowed him to regain his composure whenever his loins
threatened to erupt.  At one point, he absentmindedly began rubbing her
back with his hand...  and she responded in kind.  Erin looked down and she
was looking up at him with a kind of strange look in her eye.  Erin caught
his breath as Maire pulled her one leg from between Erin's and wrapped both
her legs around his hips pressing herself down on him.  Erin grabbed her by
the shoulders and pulled her down as he covered her gasping mouth with his
and simultaneously pulled himself up into her.  She used her lower legs to
push him even deeper into her as their tongues feverishly wrestled each
others'._

   _Their lovemaking wasn't without its difficulties, however.  Once, their
throbbing pushed them apart, and they had to scramble to catch each other
again and reconnect themselves.  Eventually, though, they completed their
lovemaking to its conclusion and floated in contented bliss, mouth to
mouth, tenderly drinking from each other._

   _Maire stroked Erin as they floated serenely, "Oh Erin...  I wouldn't
mind at all to spend eternity snuggled in your arms..."_

   ***

   While waiting at the light, Maire began rubbing her temples, then Erin
asked, "Maire, which way now?"_

   _"Turn right here, then left at the next light.  I really appreciate the
ride home, Erin."_

   _Erin, "No problem, Maire, really."_

   _As they drove down the street..._

   * END *